Bid for major expansion of 4,700sqft warehouse as DHL moves out

The landowner of a large warehouse in a Langley industrial estate – which will soon be vacated by DHL – has applied to extend and modernise the building for another use.

Brixton (Axis Park) Limited wants to add 2,612sqm of new floorspace to Unit A in Axis Park, Hurricane Way, taking the total size of the building to 7,373sqm.

The applicants said DHL chose to leave the building to consolidate operations elsewhere, and that this creates an opportunity to improve the site and make better use of the land.

This extension would make the building taller than the existing warehouse, reaching about 18 metres to the ridge, but the applicants say the design is in keeping with its surroundings.

DWD Property & Planning Limited, acting for the applicants, said the project would ‘deliver a high-quality modern industrial building.’

This ‘fits well within and complements the existing built environment’, they said.

The extension would create more office and storage space, alongside improvements to the service yard and parking layout.

A total of 59 car parking spaces would be provided – up from 50 – including three disabled bays.

There would also be 12 bays with electric vehicle charging and the remainder would be fitted with infrastructure to allow charging in future. Cycle storage for 32 bicycles is also planned.

To make room for the extension, 193 spaces in the overflow car park would be removed, leaving 125 reconfigured spaces.

DWD said the overflow area is rarely used and the neighbouring office buildings still have spare capacity in their own car parks.

The proposals also include new pedestrian routes, defined crossing points and more greenery planting.

While 26 trees would be lost, these were all described as low quality, and 57 new trees are to be planted.

DWD said this would ‘significantly enhance [the site’s] amenity value and bring some verdancy to the area’.

The applicants are also targeting high sustainability standards.

Measures include energy efficiency upgrades and a design intended to cut carbon emissions by more than 100 percent compared with minimum building regulations, avoiding over 22 tonnes of CO2 a year.

They are aiming for the highest ‘Outstanding’ rating under the BREEAM system.

Meanwhile, traffic levels to and from the sit are expected to rise slightly, with around 12 more vehicle trips in the morning peak and 15 in the evening.

DWD claims this ‘will not have a severe impact on the local highway network’.

Flood risk caused by the ‘small’ increase in impermeable surfacing is considered minimal; and mitigation measures have been recommended for the construction phase to limit dust and emissions affecting air quality.

Planning permission is pending. See documents under reference P/10343/035 in Slough council’s online planning portal.