McLaren Construction has been appointed to transform Heathrow’s Eastern Business Park into a 1.6‑hectare compact logistics estate of 32 units, using factory‑led steel and precast solutions, rooftop PV and trials of lower‑carbon concrete to speed delivery and reduce embodied carbon ahead of a summer 2026 handover.
McLaren Construction has been appointed by Heathrow Airport to redevelop the Eastern Business Park into a compact logistics estate, the contractor announced. The 1.6‑hectare scheme will deliver four warehouse buildings split into 32 self‑contained units, each designed with ground‑floor footprints of about 200–400 square metres and scope for full mezzanine fit‑outs. According to the original announcement, the scheme is intended to serve small and medium‑sized businesses that support airport operations and is due for completion in summer 2026.
Sustainability is being positioned at the heart of the brief: the buildings are targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and form part of Heathrow’s wider programme of “spotlight projects” that are trialling lower‑carbon materials. Heathrow has separately described a targeted pilot to test novel, lower‑carbon concrete mixes in airport infrastructure — a collaboration with industry partners including Ecocem, Cemex and the University of Surrey — intended to cut embodied carbon in concrete by roughly half compared with conventional mixes and to inform future procurement choices.
To reduce onsite activity and speed delivery within the operational constraints of an active airport, McLaren says it will adopt a heavily offsite‑led construction approach. Steel frames will be pre‑assembled in factory conditions, disassembled for transport and re‑erected on site; roof panels will be delivered in continuous 16‑metre sections, pre‑fitted with edge trims, gutters and solar arrays; and cross‑laminated timber roof sections will be used where specified. Subcontractors announced to support that approach include a structural steelwork contractor with large factory capacity, whose facilities allow preassembly and quality control ahead of site erection — capabilities McLaren says are essential for a constrained programme.
The project will also integrate rooftop photovoltaics. McLaren’s announcement states the PV arrays are expected to export more than 700kWh of electricity annually back into Heathrow’s energy supply. The installer named on the project has an established partnership history with McLaren and a portfolio that includes megawatt‑scale commercial arrays, underscoring the contractor’s stated aim of combining on‑site generation with broader airport energy needs.
Offsite precast solutions will play a further role in reducing time spent on wet trades and limiting disruption around sensitive below‑ground services. The precast manufacturer engaged on the contract highlights how factory‑produced components arrive fully cured and ready for installation, shortening sequences on site — an advantage when working adjacent to live power, drainage and potable water infrastructure that must be protected throughout the build.
The estate has been designed around operational realities. Units will benefit from direct access off Eastern Perimeter Road adjacent to Control Post 12, reflecting the site’s place within Heathrow’s secure perimeter. Height controls — 9 metres at the western boundary rising to 13.5 metres at the eastern end — have been imposed to meet obstacle‑limitation requirements for aircraft safety, and McLaren says it has developed a bespoke methodology to deliver to those limits without resorting to night‑time working.
Speaking in McLaren’s announcement, David Gavin, the company’s managing director for industrial and logistics, said the scheme “demonstrated the evolution of industrial development at Heathrow and the growing demand for high‑specification, sustainable airport infrastructure.” The contractor listed a number of specialist subcontractors assigned to the job and reiterated the summer 2026 completion target.
The project illustrates broader shifts in airport and logistics construction: trialling lower‑carbon binders and using more offsite manufacture are intended to lower embodied carbon and compress programmes in live operational settings. That said, the headline figure for annual PV export reported in the announcement appears modest when compared with the scale of arrays typically described by the installer in other schemes, suggesting the solar provision is being sized to meet local operational loads rather than to deliver large‑scale generation — an inference supported by the installer’s wider portfolio. Heathrow’s concrete trials, if they achieve the reductions claimed, could be influential in shifting specification across future airport and infrastructure procurement.
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Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 19 August 2025, with no evidence of prior publication or recycled content. The report is based on a press release from Heathrow Airport, which typically warrants a high freshness score.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
No direct quotes are present in the narrative, indicating original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative originates from Construction News, a reputable UK construction industry publication, enhancing its reliability.
Plausability check
Score:
10
Notes:
The claims about McLaren Construction’s appointment and project details are plausible and align with known industry practices. The project details are corroborated by a press release from Heathrow Airport, confirming the project’s scope and sustainability initiatives.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is recent, original, and sourced from a reputable publication. The project details are plausible and supported by official press releases, indicating a high level of credibility.
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