Henry Boot announced that HBD, the Group's property investment and development arm, has secured Reserved Matters planning consent for three units totalling 464,000 sq ft at SPARK, Walsall, its £110m gross development value ("GDV") industrial and logistical project. The wider 620,000 sq ft SPARK project is being delivered in partnership with Walsall Council, Homes England, West Midlands Combined Authority and Black Country LEP. The former James Bridge Copper Works site, once the undeveloped brownfield site in the Black Country, is currently undergoing specialised remediation works, which HBD is set to complete in Third Quarter 2024.

With optionality to draw down the land in phases, HBD is already seeing occupier interest in this prime scheme and are aiming to begin construction on the first of the three newly consented units in Fourth Quarter 2024, with a target of being ready for occupation in the summer of 2025. The first unit is expected to add c.£40mto HBD's current £154m GDV committed programme. Units at SPARK range from 20,000 sq ft to 254,000 sq ft, providing sustainable space at the heart of the Midlands' world-class manufacturing and logistics economy.

Located adjacent to junctions 9 and 10 of the M6, it offers market-leading infrastructure and power provision, alongside a strong local skills base. Once the project has been fully developed, it will also be home to a thriving employment scheme, creating as many as 1,100 jobs in the local and surrounding area.