SPARK reaches major milestone as steels complete

Construction on SPARK reached a major milestone this week as steels complete on the first buildings at the £100million GDV Walsall development.

The first phase of SPARK is being delivered by Origin, a joint venture between HBD, part of Henry Boot, and Feldberg Capital.

 SPARK has transformed the former Copper Works site and will create 620,000sq ft of high-spec, net zero carbon enabled space at the heart of the Midlands’ manufacturing and logistics economy.

 Contractor Bowmer and Kirkland have completed the steels on the first two 25-250,000sq ft and 18,000sq ft buildings. It’s an exciting moment for SPARK, with life set to return to the site having lain empty for two decades. It is an important scheme for Walsall and the wider region, creating as many as 1,000 new jobs while attracting valuable inward investment and boosting skills.

 Units range from 18,000sq ft – 250,000sq ft, with pre-let and build-to-suit options both available at the 44-acre scheme. Planning has already been submitted for the second phase, which will deliver a further three units at the landmark site. Construction is expected to begin in January 2026, completing in Q3 2026.

 Vivienne Clements, Executive Director at HBD, said: “Seeing the steels complete is an exciting milestone for SPARK as the development begins to take shape. It’s an important scheme not just for the local community, but for the wider region. Given this excellent progress, the first two units are on track to be completed in Autumn and ready for occupation before the end of the year.”

 Jamie Acheson, Managing Director of Feldberg Capital, commented: “Following on from the launch of Origin in December 2024, the speed of progress at SPARK demonstrates the collaboration and success of our joint venture. SPARK is a flagship scheme in a very under-supplied micro-location and will bring critical employment and social benefits to the surrounding community.”

 Councillor Adrian Andrew, Acting Leader of Walsall Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see the steels complete at SPARK as it reaches another milestone. It's just an incredible feeling to see something I've been involved with for such a long time coming together and the buildings starting to come out of the ground.”

 HBD completed a complex remediation project to ready the site for development. The works were completed in partnership with Walsall Council, Homes England, Black Country LEP and West Midlands Combined Authority.

Located just minutes from Junction 9 and 10 of the M6, SPARK sits at the gateway to the Midlands and boasts a 12MVA power supply.

Origin was launched to own and develop next-generation, ESG-compliant industrial and logistics assets in the UK’s mid-box market and aims to deliver £1billion of high-quality I&L schemes over the next seven years. SPARK is one of three Origin developments to start on site in 2025, with work progressing apace at INTER, a 71,000sq ft industrial hub in Welwyn Garden City, and ARK, 107,000sq ft scheme at Markham Vale in Derbyshire.

The agents for SPARK are Cushman and Wakefield and Box4 Real Estate.