Gazeley has announced that it will develop the world’s first carbon positive distribution warehouse at its Magna Park Milton Keynes scheme.
The developer intends to build a 500,000 sq ft shed with a host of eco-initiatives allowing the tenant to have heating and lighting for free.
The initiative called Blue Planet builds on the success of the eco template and involves creation of a micro power plant that runs on bio fuel made from oil seed rape.
Other initiatives include solar walls, advanced lighting systems, passive ventilation and state-of-the-art thermal insulation – all of which will enable a credit of 14,450 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
The initiatives will push the rent up by around 50p per sq ft, however, this is more than offset against the free heating and lighting which at today’s prices would cost 85p per sq ft.
The news comes shortly after ProLogis announced that it would develop the country’s greenest shed for Sainsbury’s at ProLogis Park Pineham in Northamptonshire allowing the retailer to reportedly shave energy costs by as much as 75 per cent.
ProLogis is building a 530,000 sq ft RDC, which will serve 50 Sainsbury’s stores in the Midlands. Completion of the building is scheduled for the second half of 2007.
The developer says the new facility will boast a variety of advanced environmental features and technologies designed to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions at the site.
These include: wall-mounted photovoltaic panels; solar walls; an on-site power plant that reuses the heat produced by air conditioning; an on-site recycling facility; energy efficient lighting systems; and air-tight construction that minimises energy loss through the external fabric of the building.
Sainsbury’s is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs at the site.
