MLP Group, a leading developer and owner of high-quality logistics, industrial and business parks, will build a modern business park on a plot of approximately 11 hectares. Around 55,000 sqm of sustainable, flexible space for use by a wide range of tenants will be built on the industrial site of a former Thyssen wire factory in Gelsenkirchen-Schalke.
‘With the acquisition of the land by MLP Group and with the proposed project, the city of Gelsenkirchen is not only gaining an important business partner but also securing an opportunity of robust, sustainable development for a site that has been virtually unused for a long time. This is very good news for Gelsenkirchen and particularly for the Schalke-Nord district,’ said Gelsenkirchen Mayor Karin Welge during the project presentation event at the Gelsenkirchen Science Park.
The project comprises a total of eight buildings with an area ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 sqm. The eastern part of MLP Business Park Schalke will feature three flexible-use units particularly well suited for local service and retail companies. Larger units can be divided according to users’ needs.
‘MLP Group has an extensive track record of revitalising post-industrial sites. The concept developed together with the City of Gelsenkirchen and the authorities has a strong rationale and is well thought out. It perfectly suits the requirements defined for ‘Schalke-Nord’ while simultaneously catering to the needs of local, regional and supra-regional tenants across various industries,’ explained Patrick Schumacher-Kurowski, Country Manager Germany & Austria at MLP Group.
MLP Group’s new project is located in the centre of one of the largest business and consumer hubs in Europe. With its prime location and transport links to the A42 and A44 motorways, MLP Business Park Schalke is attractive to users across industries, from manufacturing and processing companies, through e-commerce and logistics operators, to local crafts and services providers. The project also seeks to revitalise and upgrade the abandoned site, which is of particular importance to the City of Gelsenkirchen.
According to Patrick Schumacher-Kurowski, the next step will be to refine the concept in close cooperation with the city authorities. MLP Group, which is to invest over EUR 40m in the project, expects the development plan to be ready in mid-2023 and construction to start in the second half of 2023. Demolition of the existing buildings is expected to begin as early as late 2021. MLP Business Park Schalke is expected to launch operations in mid-2024.
The buildings of the business park will be developed by MLP Group in accordance with the sustainable development strategy. Efforts are underway to secure the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) certificate in Gold for the facilities. The sustainability concept also includes using roof space to install PV solar systems. Where possible, green electricity will be used to generate heat. MLP Group will mostly use recyclable materials during the construction phase. Working with regional companies and purchasing construction materials from local suppliers will help keep the carbon footprint of the project low.
