IN Brief:
- Barwood Capital has completed MX Park at Maple Cross.
- The £85m scheme includes two logistics units of 97,876 sq ft and 80,487 sq ft.
- The development targets EPC A and BREEAM Very Good, with PV panels and EV charging.
Barwood Capital has reached practical completion at MX Park, Maple Cross, adding two highly specified logistics units to a supply-constrained market close to the M25.
The £85m scheme comprises units of 97,876 sq ft and 80,487 sq ft. It was developed by Ashford Developments, delivered by Pioneer, and funded by Barwood Capital’s Regional Property Growth Fund IV. The site is located within a mile of Junction 17 of the M25, with access to the M1, M40, M4, Heathrow Airport, and Greater London.
The units target EPC A and BREEAM Very Good ratings and include photovoltaic panels and electric vehicle charging points. Barwood has positioned the scheme around occupier demand for high-quality, sustainable logistics space in Greater London and the surrounding distribution market.
UK logistics property remains split between strong demand for well-located, efficient buildings and caution around older or poorly specified assets. Occupiers are still seeking access to major consumer markets, ports, airports, and trunk roads, while building specification now has a greater influence on leasing decisions.
Power availability, yard depth, dock access, automation readiness, office provision, charging potential, and energy performance are all becoming part of operational due diligence. A warehouse with a strong location can still create operational limits if it cannot support EV charging, automation upgrades, or rising ESG requirements from customers and investors.
IN Supply has previously examined this shift in From Sheds to Systems: Fit-Out Is the New Frontier in UK Logistics, which looked at how automation, electrical design, fire protection, and futureproofing now require earlier coordination between developers and operators. MX Park sits within that same movement, where the value of a logistics unit is increasingly tied to how quickly it can become an operational system.
The South East and Greater London market is particularly exposed to these pressures. Land availability is constrained, planning is difficult, occupier demand remains resilient, and last-mile, regional, and national distribution functions often compete for similar locations. Sites near the M25 can serve multiple logistics roles, from regional stockholding to airport-linked freight, e-commerce replenishment, and industrial supply.
Barwood has cited CBRE market data showing UK logistics leasing volumes increased by 22% year on year in 2025. Continued demand does not remove pressure from occupiers; it increases the need to judge sites against service levels, labour access, fleet requirements, automation potential, and long-term energy costs.
Sustainable features are also becoming more than planning or investor requirements. PV panels can reduce exposure to volatile energy costs, while EV charging provision helps futureproof facilities for electric vans, yard vehicles, shunters, and heavier goods vehicles where duty cycles allow. Occupiers may not use every feature immediately, but they increasingly want the option embedded at the point of occupation.
For manufacturers, retailers, and 3PLs, property decisions now sit inside broader network resilience planning. A building near the M25 provides access, but the operational case depends on whether it can support labour flows, vehicle movements, automation, energy management, and customer reporting expectations on emissions.
MX Park adds less than 200,000 sq ft of space, so it will not change the regional market alone. Its relevance lies in the type of space being delivered: modern, well-connected, sustainability-led, and close to one of the UK’s most important freight corridors. In a market where occupiers are trying to improve network performance without expanding unnecessarily, that combination remains commercially useful.