Rockspring completes UK's first solar park

A new era for clean energy at Buckinghamshire Business Park

Article posted: 28 Jun 2011

Rockspring Property Investment Managers, advised by renewable energy specialist, Ownergy, yesterday announced the completion of phase one of the UK’s first ever Solar Parks. Located on a former World War II airfield at Rockspring’s Westcott Venture Park in Buckinghamshire, the Solar Park will initially produce around 365,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year, saving 70 tonnes of carbon and enough energy to provide over 15% of the electricity consumed by the 60 plus companies that work out of the business and office space in Aylesbury.  

Westcott Venture Park is owned by Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust.  Constructed by German company, Solon SE, the Westcott Solar Park initially comprises 1,512 solar panels arranged in 23 rows, covering 3.5 acres of a redundant runway. Rockspring will supply the generated power, which has a peak capacity of 408 kW, to its business tenants.

Rockspring has been particularly active over the last few months. Earlier in June, together with development partner Exton Estates, it was granted planning permission for a new development of 103,600 sq ft of office space in Weybridge, Surrey, at The Arrows Site, Brooklands.

In May it completed around £20m of transactions on behalf of its Retail Plus Fund, including the acquisition of Princess House comprising 50,800 sq ft of predominantly office space in Shrewsbury town centre.

Back in April Rockspring announced that it had secured Regus as a tenant at No 1 Bell Street, its recently completed £5m development of office space in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and in March Rockspring made its first purchase on behalf of South Korea's National Pension Service Fund with the acquisition of office space in the City of London at 63 St Mary Axe, EC3.

February saw the acquisition of a portfolio of offices in Surrey from St Martins for almost £48m. The purchases were made on behalf of the Rockspring UK Value Fund. The portfolio comprises five assets totalling in excess of 252,000 sq ft of office space in Surrey. Multi-let to tenants which include Reed Exhibitions and Clydesdale Bank the five offices are in Richmond, Kingston, Guildford and Crawley.

In January this year Rockspring purchased a speculative redevelopment scheme comprising 61,000 sq ft of office space in the Square Mile with its acquisition of Centurion House for £22.05m, and late last year Rockspring completed on the £5m purchase of office space in West London, at Highbridge Park in Uxbridge, in one of the area’s only speculative office developments in recent times.

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Posted by Julie