Landmark Cummins Diesel Engine Factory in Shotts available for lease
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has brought to market the landmark former Cummins Diesel Engine Factory in Shotts for lease.
The iconic diesel engine manufacturer’s first manufacturing facility outside of the United States opened in 1956 when the A-listed building was considered one of the major infrastructure investment projects of its day.
Cummins specialised in the production of high-speed diesel engines for motor vehicles, and the Shott’s plant pioneered a new breed of engines used in railway passenger trains, typified by British Rail’s range of ‘Sprinter’ units.
Occupying a former textile mill known as ‘the Wrens Nest’, after many years of successful production, the factory closed in 1998, with its operations being consolidated to the Cummins’ manufacturing facility at Darlington. Prior to closure, the factory employed over 2000 people, a third of whom lived within the Shotts area.
Located at Junction 5 M8 Business Park, the circa 500,000 sq ft of industrial premises located within a large 37-acre site is now set to write a new chapter in its history.
Providing excellent connectivity from a long-established industrial location for warehouse and distribution, Junction 5 M8 Business Park lies 25 miles east of Glasgow and 20 miles from Edinburgh, a short distance from Airdrie, Coatbridge, Motherwell and Bellshill. The Euro Freight Terminal at Eurocentral is located within a 15-minute drive.
A spokesman for Junction 5 M8 Business Park, said: “Due to the current strength of the industrial property market, we are fully committed to undertaking an extensive internal and external upgrade of this historic facility to meet modern industrial occupier requirements.
“We are delighted to have appointed Shepherd as our sole agent, given their in-depth knowledge and understanding of the marketplace at both a local and national level to identify potential occupiers on our behalf.”
Steve Barnett, managing partner at Shepherd, said: “We are greatly encouraged by the level of enquiries received to date in advance of the launch of the formal marketing campaign of this iconic building.
“Industrial stock has continued to perform well, partly due to occupiers seeking additional space as a result of the recent expansion of e-commerce, but also through the change in vacant rates liabilities a number of years ago which led to a significant amount of dated industrial stock being demolished and developed for alternative uses, thereby reducing supply at a time when demand has been rising.
“Add in the additional stock-piling requirements as a result of Brexit coupled with limited speculative development over recent years, demand has outstripped supply, resulting in a rise in rents and capital values as the level of ‘take up’ increases.
“Due to the configuration of its buildings, with existing units ranging in size from 70,000 up to 162,000 sq ft, Junction 5 M8 Business Park offers the requisite flexibility to accommodate a wide range of occupier requirements.”
Interested parties should contact the sole letting agent for further details on tel 0141 331 2807.
ENDS
For further information please contact Steve Barnett on tel 0141 331 2807