Litton Property Group is joining forces with motorway service station operator Moto Hospitality to develop a high profile M1 site close to East Midlands Airport.
The scheme — to be jointly handled by commercial agents Innes England and Cushman & Wakefield — is being marketed as a “bespoke design and build opportunity” that could see the 3.9-acre site transformed into Grade A self-contained office space, a car showroom, an 80-bedroom hotel or even 40,000sq ft of industrial space.
To be developed under the name “EM Point”, the plot stands alongside Junction 23a and within walking distance of East Midlands Airport with its rail and bus links. “We are very excited to be bringing forward plans for contemporary designs that will be seen by all traffic on the M1 and most traffic approaching the airport”, explained Litton’s development director, Richard Squire.
He said that “positive” consultations were progressing with North West Leicestershire District Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership.
Litton, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has focused on retail and leisure schemes within the regeneration and business sectors. The majority of its developments are in Yorkshire and the East Midlands. It has, however, co-operated with several national companies including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, McDonald’s and Costa.
The Derbyshire firm’s partner for the M1 scheme, Moto Hospitality, is the UK’s biggest service area operator and currently controls 58 motorway service stations across the country. Moto is owned by a consortium of shareholders including Australian pension funds and European and New Zealand infrastructure funds.
Mark Franks, estate manager at Moto, said the firm believed the site “offers tremendous scope for a bespoke development that will have superb communication links and offer the ability to provide unique designs”.
The EM Point site could generate up to 300 jobs, depending on the businesses that locate there, and is available for immediate development.
Nick Hosking is a director at Innes England. “This is a rare opportunity for a range of different businesses to take advantage of a site that benefits from huge visibility and accessibility thanks to its location near to the motorway and airport,” he said.