Bridges and Barwood buy former ice rink for logistics scheme

Bridges Fund Management and Barwood Capital have bought the redundant John Nike Leisuresport Ice Rink in Bracknell, with plans to turn it into a £20m urban logistics scheme. Barwood and Bridges are looking to replace the existing building on site with high-quality, energy-efficient warehousing, which the duo said is in short supply in the region. Barwood will act as development manager for the 3.3-acre site, which is located within the Amen Corner area of Bracknell. It is seeking planning permission for a circa 70,000 sq ft industrial warehousing scheme. This will be built to net zero carbon, BREEAM Excellent and EPCA+ specifications. The ice rink closed in 2020, with the Bees Ice Hockey Club relocating to Slough Ice Arena. Edward Henson, director and head of transactions at Barwood Capital, said: “Local businesses in Bracknell seeking warehousing space, currently have limited options. Our plan is to deliver in the region of 70,000 sq ft of industrial space so the proposed new scheme will go some way to meeting this demand.” Henry Pepper, investment director at Bridges Fund Management, said: “This well-located site can be positioned to meet strong local demand for industrial and logistics. “Together with Barwood, we will draw on our extensive experience of developing best-in-class low-carbon logistics sites to create a scheme which is both energy-efficient and highly sustainable in its operation.” To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@eg.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @EGPropertyNews Photo: geograph.org.uk