IN Brief:
- Prologis UK has submitted proposals for DC762, a 762,000 sq ft rail-served distribution centre at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.
- The cross-docked building would feature an 18m clear height, 114 dock doors, and a rooftop solar installation, with BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A+ targets.
- The application keeps pressure on the remaining DIRFT pipeline as retailers, 3PLs, and e-commerce operators continue to seek large, rail-connected Midlands capacity.
Prologis UK has submitted plans for a 762,000 sq ft rail-served distribution centre at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, extending the latest phase of expansion at one of the country’s best-established intermodal logistics locations.
The proposed building, known as DC762, forms part of three remaining expansion plots at DIRFT, which together account for 1.063 million sq ft. Prologis is also expected to submit planning applications for two further units measuring 158,000 sq ft and 265,000 sq ft in the coming weeks, underlining how quickly the remaining pipeline is being brought forward.
DC762 is designed as a cross-docked facility with an 18m clear internal height, 114 dock doors, and 11 level access doors on its east and west elevations. The wider infrastructure package includes a new access road, 233 trailer spaces, a 590-space car park, and 144 cycle spaces. Prologis is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A+ ratings, with plans also calling for a 700kWp rooftop solar PV system.
That is a specification aimed squarely at modern big-box requirements rather than legacy shed logic. Clear height, loading intensity, energy performance, and transport access now sit in the same conversation, especially on sites where occupiers want both scale and a route to lower-carbon trunking.
James Hemstock, capital deployment director at Prologis UK, said enquiries at DIRFT had risen as customers sought “scale, connectivity and long-term certainty”. He added: “Progressing these developments now ensures that capacity is available to meet sustained demand in the Midlands. DIRFT continues to demonstrate the strength of rail-connected logistics infrastructure as a long-term platform for UK supply chains.”
The rail element is central. Prologis describes DIRFT as the UK’s premier logistics park, positioned at the junction of the M1, M6, and A14, with three on-site rail freight terminals connected to the West Coast Main Line. That combination has made the estate one of the few locations where occupiers can still pursue very large-format distribution space with established multimodal infrastructure already in place.
Recent activity at the park helps explain why Prologis is moving quickly. In August 2025, the developer was selected to deliver Marks & Spencer’s 1.3 million sq ft national distribution centre at DIRFT, a project billed as the retailer’s largest ever food supply chain investment. In January this year, Arla Foods and XPO Logistics confirmed a new chilled distribution centre there, while Laura James also signed for a Midlands headquarters at the site. Elsewhere on the estate, DC107 is already under construction and DC613 has full consent in place for fast-track occupation.
Large-scale rail-linked logistics space remains limited, and the combination of planning certainty, trunk road access, power, and established freight infrastructure is difficult to replicate quickly elsewhere. DC762 is not simply another planning submission. It is part of a broader race to secure the last significant slices of pre-positioned Midlands capacity before the next occupier comes asking for scale, speed, and rail access in the same sentence.
