Background
Severn Trent Property Ltd conceived the 365 acre, first phase development of DIRFT in the late early 1990s when it proposed a major distribution and manufacturing complex and intermodal rail freight interchange. Following a construction start in 1996, the International Railport was opened by HRH the Princess Royal in November 1997 and has since become a model for others to emulate. It remains a ‘state of the art’ intermodal facility serving destinations throughout the UK and mainland Europe.
Following massive investment in road, rail and service infrastructure, some 2.3m sq.ft. of distribution and manufacturing floorspace had been constructed by 2004 and occupiers including Tesco’s, Tibbett & Britten plc, Ingram Micro, Royal Mail, the W.H. Malcolm Group, Eddie Stobart Ltd, Wincanton and Exel, have been attracted to this unique logistics location. A further 1.3m sq.ft. is now being developed by Rosemound Developments and British Land.