Cobham Gate

Business park on the popular Ferndown estate

The project, undertaken for client Glenbeigh Developments Ltd, was the first major development on this new site which has consent for 405,000 sq/ft of new employment space across the 28 acre site on the highly sought after Ferndown Estate on the edge of the New Forest.

Cobham Gate is accessed from Cobham Road, the main spine road serving the estate. Ferndown Industrial Estate is a popular choice for business premises largely because it is so well strategically located. It has direct access to the A31, the main road through the New Forest linking the areas of Bournemouth and Poole with Southampton and Portsmouth via the M27 and to London via the M3.

After a competitive Tender process, Mildren were successful in securing the first three phases of work on the site totalling £7.7m.

The first phase consisted of the construction of a new signalised junction and internal access road onto the site from the very busy Cobham Road, where road widening and service diversions were also required. The new road provides a main thoroughfare through the centre of the site, creating access to several plots now available for future development.

The second phase required full site infrastructure preparation, including formation of future building plots, earthworks facilitating the diversion of services and natural watercourse, and the construction of a site access/spine road. Incoming services, foul & surface water drainage and soft landscaping were also included in the works.

The final phase of the works saw the construction of a new 60,000 sq/ft warehouse for incoming occupant DPD, which comprises fully fitted out offices, external storage facilities and car park areas for their personnel.

Mildren’s building and civil engineering competences were combined well on this project allowing the phases to overlap, thus minimising the overall construction period.