Swan Valley Regional Distribution Centre, Northampton

Client: Buckingham Group and Sainsbury’s plc
Quantity Surveyor: Davis Langdon Everest LLP
Type of works: supply and installation of flexible spring steel safety barriers.

When Sainsbury’s were fitting out their new Regional Distribution Centre at Swan Valley in Northampton they turned to Berry Systems for the flexible spring steel safety barriers throughout the 530,000 square feet building. They also asked them to supply the wheel guides, stops, loading bay bollards and height restrictors. Berry had previously supplied the barriers for their Hams Hall Distribution Centre back in 2002 as well as at Rye Park, Waltham Point and Haydock. So Sainsbury’s have had first hand experience of their effectiveness and durability. Since then the barriers have proved their worth time and again.

The Swan Valley RDC was awarded the Green Award for Sustainable Achievement by the Industrial Agents Society (IAS) and is claimed to be the most environmentally friendly distribution centre in Europe. The building contains a number of advanced features designed to drastically reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions including innovative wall-mounted photovoltaic panels that generate electricity; solar walls; energy-efficient lighting systems and an on-site power plant that generates electricity for on site consumption whilst also utilising the heat generated to raise the temperature of the water used at the cratewash facility. The cratewash also utilises a rain water harvesting system which is expected to save over 3 million litres per year of mains water.