Allenby Commercial embarks on construction of final phase at Priory Park

Work is under way and the first tenant secured for an industrial site in Hull which is the final piece of a development jigsaw dating back more than 30 years.

Allenby Commercial is offering design and build opportunities from 5,000 to 50,000 sq ft at The Point, which sits next to the Fruit Market at Priory Park and has been owned by the family business since 2016.

A 14,000 sq ft unit is due for completion in the coming months, with Allenbys close to announcing the occupier for half of the building. Development director Charlie Allenby said the new tenant has been attracted by the location and by the stylish and energy efficient design.

Charlie said: “We’ve gone for a modern, European design with Scandinavian style landscaping and solar panels on the roof contributing to an EPC A rating – quite a contrast from the old days when Priory Park was full of railway sidings!

“The new tenant is relocating from elsewhere in East Yorkshire and has been looking for premises to match its own profile as a young, creative business. We’re confident their arrival will generate interest from other businesses in the remaining 7,000 sq ft and in the wider 6.5-acre site.”

Priory Park opened for business in the early 1990s and was one of Henry Boot Developments’ first strategic joint venture projects as they worked with Network Rail on the transformation of 150 acres of brownfield land.

In 2013 HBD launched the final phase east of The Village Hotel. Allenby Commercial bought the land for The Point in 2016, the same year that the company relocated its own headquarters from the western end of Priory Park into Hull city centre.

Jordan Stokes, surveyor at PPH Commercial Chartered Surveyors and Commercial Property Consultants, said: “This is the last available development space at Priory Park. The appeal of the location is underlined by the presence of a diverse mix of local, regional and national businesses, with growing interest in recent years from the renewables sector.

“The Point is suitable for all sectors and Allenbys are setting new standards in design and build. Priory Park itself sits right next to the A63 with excellent transport links to the Humber Bridge, east coast ports and the national motorway and rail networks and east coast ports.”

Allenby Commercial is also progressing with the transformation of the former Europa House in Hull, which has been renamed Monocle and will welcome the first occupiers into 60,000 sq ft of space this year. The company has also expanded at Base, a former military motor depot in Chamberlain Road, Hull, which is now home to 75 businesses employing more than 200 people in light industrial, workshops, storage and offices.

Charlie said: “Base is proving ideal for local and national businesses who benefit from having a workforce and customer base almost on their doorstep – our latest addition of a Tesco Express store reflects the fact that the site is surrounded by chimney pots.

“We have one block which still has some space for industrial use and there is one unit in the main office block capable of accommodating up to 12 people but demand is strong. A new block which we only opened less than a year ago is now fully let with ten businesses occupying the 16 units.”