Contact
We provide practical, commercially minded technical advice that keeps industrial and logistics projects moving and costs under control.
We work with developers, occupiers, investors and their professional teams on distribution, logistics, manufacturing and wider industrial developments of all scales. Our civil, structural and building services engineering specialists work alongside our experts in flood risk and drainage, ground conditions, acoustics, transport and utilities, giving clients one coordinated technical team.
Why Choose Brookbanks for Industry & Logistics
Demand for new industrial floorspace is driven by the continued growth of e-commerce, the reshoring of manufacturing and evolving supply chain requirements. Industrial and logistics schemes have a distinctive set of technical requirements: large building and yard footprints generate significant volumes of surface water runoff, heavy goods vehicles place demanding loads on pavements and hardstandings, and occupiers need an adequate and reliable power supply. Planning and environmental requirements around drainage, flood risk and biodiversity also play an important part in shaping a successful scheme.
Our team understands these requirements and the programme pressures and cost sensitivities that drive the sector. Because our engineering and environmental specialists work as one integrated team, technical issues are considered together from the outset, and the solutions developed at planning stage carry through efficiently to construction and handover.
Key Client Benefits
- Our civil, structural and building services engineers work closely with our in-house specialists in utilities, flood risk, ground conditions and acoustics, giving clients a fully coordinated team that reduces interface risk and simplifies project management.
- We understand the programme pressures and cost sensitivities of industrial and logistics development, and provide advice that is technically sound without being over-engineered.
- We support the full range of scheme types, from urban infill industrial units and trade counter developments to multi-unit logistics parks and large-scale strategic distribution centres.
- Our team has the expertise to resolve legacy ground condition, flood risk and infrastructure constraints on well-located sites and find deliverable solutions that unlock development value.
- We provide continuity of technical input from the first appraisal of a site’s potential through to construction support and handover.
How We Support Industry & Logistics Projects
Site Appraisal and Development Potential
Many of the best-located industrial and logistics sites carry ground condition, flood risk or infrastructure constraints. Our early technical appraisals bring together highways, drainage, earthworks, utilities and commercial advice, helping clients understand a site’s development potential before they commit.
Where a scheme is already in progress, our civil engineering and cost and commercial specialists can review the technical work to date and test alternative layouts. At Nexus 25 in Taunton, this approach showed how the masterplan could be adjusted to provide an extra 3.2 hectares of developable land while reducing infrastructure costs by 24%.
Read more about our work at Nexus 25, Taunton.
Civil Engineering, Drainage and Levels
Our civil engineering specialists design the infrastructure that makes industrial and logistics sites work, including site access, internal roads, service yards and hardstandings. We design with heavy vehicle movements, loading and long-term durability in mind, producing efficient layouts that are practical to build.
Our hydrology specialists prepare flood risk assessments and drainage strategies for outline and detailed planning applications, design Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and support clients through approval with the SuDS Approving Body (SAB) and Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA). Careful levels design can also reduce steps within units and balance cut and fill across the site.
See how we optimised the drainage and levels strategy at Hawthorn Corner in Whitstable.
Structural Engineering
Our structural engineering specialists design portal frame buildings, mezzanine floors, dock levellers and external structures. We focus on efficient, buildable solutions that meet the operational needs of occupiers while remaining sensitive to programme and cost.
Flexible steel superstructures can accommodate late design changes such as mezzanine additions and complex service routes, and we advise on fire and corrosion protection suited to each building’s environment.
Discover our structural design for the Ben Ainslie Racing Headquarters in Portsmouth.
Building Services, Power and Energy
Our building services engineering specialists design mechanical, electrical and public health services for new and refurbished industrial units, including Category A fit-outs, energy-efficient lighting and controls, energy strategies and photovoltaic and battery storage systems. At Axis Park in Peterborough, our energy strategy and dynamic simulation modelling supported a target of BREEAM Very Good for eight new industrial units.
Electrified heating, EV charging and increasing automation mean occupiers need more power than ever. Our utilities specialists assess network capacity and connection options early and work alongside our engineers, so that utility planning is coordinated with the wider site design.
Listen to our podcast on energy pressures in industrial and logistics projects.
Ground Conditions and Remediation
Industrial land often has a history of previous use. Our ground specialists carry out ground condition assessments, contamination appraisals and remediation strategies, giving clients a clear understanding of their site and a deliverable way forward.
Working alongside our civil and structural engineers, we use this understanding to inform earthworks, foundation design and levels, helping to bring disused and previously developed land back into productive employment use.
Transport, Acoustics and Planning Support
Our highways and transportation specialists deliver transport planning advice and proportionate assessments that support efficient site operation, occupier flexibility and successful planning outcomes, as well as transport due diligence to inform land acquisition decisions.
Our acoustics specialists assess fixed plant, service yards, loading operations and rooftop installations, while our air quality specialists assess heavy goods vehicle movements, on-site plant and dust. Together, they help industrial and logistics developments sit comfortably alongside their neighbours.
Our Experience
Our experience covers distribution, logistics, manufacturing and wider industrial developments across England and Wales. For distribution and logistics clients, we support urban last-mile delivery units, multi-unit logistics parks and large-scale strategic distribution centres, as well as business parks such as Nexus 25 in Taunton, where we reviewed highways, drainage, earthworks, utilities and commercial appraisal for a 61-acre site adjacent to junction 25 of the M5.
Our industrial developments work includes Hawthorn Corner in Whitstable, a 135,000 square foot mixed industrial and commercial scheme, and Axis Park in Peterborough, which regenerates disused industrial land with eight new units. For manufacturing, we provided structural engineering for the Ben Ainslie Racing Headquarters in Portsmouth, which houses boat manufacturing alongside offices and a visitor centre. Whether the brief is a focused technical study for a single unit or coordinated support across a major logistics park, we bring the same practical, commercially minded approach.
Talk to Our Industry & Logistics Specialists
If you are appraising a site or bringing forward an industrial or logistics scheme, contact a member of the team directly, or email hello@brookbanks.com and one of our experts will get back to you.
Technical Director, Land, Development and Communities
Richard Boyle
richard.boyle@brookbanks.com
View profile
Group Director for Land, Development and Communities
Lee Witts
lee.witts@brookbanks.com
View profile
Senior Engineer, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Group
Daniel Kainth
daniel.kainth@brookbanks.com
View profile
Related work and insights
FAQs
What size of industrial and logistics scheme do you work on?
We work on schemes of all sizes, from single urban infill units and trade counter developments to multi-unit logistics parks and large-scale strategic distribution centres. You can engage us for an individual service, such as a flood risk assessment, or for coordinated multidisciplinary support.
Can you support us before we acquire a site?
Yes. Our specialists provide early technical appraisals covering ground conditions, flood risk and drainage, access, utilities and power, helping you understand a site’s development potential and likely infrastructure costs before you commit.
Do you design Sustainable Drainage Systems for large industrial sites?
Yes. We design Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) that manage the surface water generated by large roofs, yards and hardstandings. We also support clients through approval with the SuDS Approving Body (SAB) and Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA).
Can you help with power and utility requirements?
Yes. Our utilities specialists assess network capacity and the connections a scheme needs, including power for EV charging and electrified building services. They work alongside our engineers so that utility planning is coordinated with the wider site design.