An industrial site near Aberdeen Airport is now fully occupied 15 months after undergoing extensive refurbishment work.
The Woodlands Road units were purchased and transformed by property developer Clowes Developments in June last year.
The firm, which purchased the site from Aberdeen City Council, completed the project in April.
Then a “near-derelict” site, it now has eight properties. They range from 1,830 sq ft to 3,122 sq ft. Five have been sold while the other three are let out.
Early Bird Vending is amongst the latest tenants to move into the Woodlands Road units.
Regenerating was the right decision, says director
Clowes Development director Gordon Arthur said the firm “clearly hit the mark and met the needs” of its unit occupiers.
He said: “We are pleased to see the successful regeneration of this site. All too often, the easiest option is to simply start again.
“Sometimes, that’s the right decision, however, on this occasion, we had the vision and expertise to be able to utilise what was already there and deliver a quality end product.
“We clearly hit the mark and met the needs of Aberdeen’s industrial unit occupiers.”
Clowes said it has also spent a considerable amount of time working on the group’s strategy, building towards net zero targets.
Mr Arthur added: “To complement this, we are analysing our existing portfolio of assets to improve EPC ratings.
“And looking at opportunities to improve our carbon footprint as a business.”
Significant carbon savings were made by reusing the existing building frames on the Woodlands Road site.
It features new cladding on the roofs and walls as well as new window systems.
Woodlands Road industrial site investment opportunity
Knight Frank and Graham and Sibbald are now marketing the three let units as investment opportunities.
Head of Knight Frank’s industrial and logistics practice in Scotland, Scott Hogan, believes the quality of refurbishment is a main contributor to its success.
He said: “Despite slowing market requirement levels for smaller, terraced units, there is still demand for the right product.
“The approach from Clowes to the project is a model that could work elsewhere, both in Aberdeen and across Scotland.
“While opportunities like this are quite rare, they may become more prevalent with build costs remaining stubbornly high.”
Graham and Sibbald partner Chris Ion added: “The Woodlands Road project is a great success story of refurbishing and giving new life to outdated stock, which otherwise would have been ripe for demolition.”
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