Freeholder Services

CRATE is a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and an activator in regeneration. We provide a packaged service for developers, local authorities and freeholders including scheme design and place-making, low-fuss offsite manufacture as well as operational management that ensures high occupancy and economic impact.

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CRATE Activate Building community vibrancy

Our cargotecture inspired modular solution is for prominent sites needing to placemake for five-to-ten years as part of major multi-phase regeneration. 

Our innovative design, with its permanent look and feel, has ‘lift and shift’ capability, meaning the building can be readily moved and redeployed to make way for the eventual redevelopment of the site. This solution can be used as a first intervention on large sites delivering strategic value over and above its return on investment. Alternatively, schemes can be left in situ for long-term value creation. This modular ‘one-box’ product is being future developed for residential purposes.
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CRATE Make Inspiring light industrial

A fresh, design focused and quality B1c and B8 anchored business park, with fully cross-sector workspace units of 15m2 - 500m2. 

Alongside CRATE Make’s micro-and-SME clean-tech manufacturing back-bone, we deliver a business eco-system from logistics to serviced office, along with amenities, retail and desk-only co-working. 

CRATE’s comprehensive business support enables all micro and small businesses to make the difficult journey to scale, with larger SMEs leveraging the on-site offer to attract, develop and retain staff.
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CRATE Places Re-inventing retail

Our response to the challenges facing traditional retail and unlet new-build podium formats. CRATE Places delivers a re-imagined and re-positioned cross-sector offer that brings community and enterprise together. 

Greater diversity of business occupier drives the daytime economy and re-seeds the high street of tomorrow with innovative customer-focused offerings. Retail, leisure, amenities, creatives, co-working and micro-office spaces are curated and designed around desirable anchor tenant opportunities to create new footfall and long-term investment value.

Regeneration and Placemaking

We see immense benefits from working with CRATE for economic development and growth.

We work collaboratively with local authorities and freeholders as we redefine the workplace community, and with it, breathe new life into the high-street and workspace operating model. We seek to facilitate a value exchange. Entrepreneurs pay rent to CRATE for a business environment that is a platform for growth, while council and developer freeholders provide land in return for economic impact, job creation and regeneration activation. CRATE delivers long-term sustainable impact through our package of services to tenant businesses that delivers affordability and value for money.

With national and local economic policy encouraging job creation and regeneration of under-utilised assets, the opportunity to collaborate and ‘placemake’ has never been so great. As a private sector partner, CRATE brings a design, build and operate service package that delivers economic activity and local vibrancy.

The future...

7

YEARS

20

CRATE SCHEMES

1000

BUSINESSES

500

STUDIO HOMES

Commercial proposition

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Our value proposition

CRATE schemes offer local authorities and developers the chance to generate a market-competitive return on investment from regeneration and/or placemaking activities.

  1. Placemaking that ‘pays it way’, turning an expense into a revenue generating return on investment, c. 10% net p.a. to freeholders.
  2. Commercial premises that match the needs of a large and increasing micro and SME market, delivering high levels of local jobs.
  3. Embedded physical and digital business support that ensures on-site and local businesses have a platform for growth.
  4. Workspaces that enable smaller firms to base themselves near larger local employers to access supply chains and distribution channels.
  5. Amenity businesses that serve nearby residents, the local workforce and other businesses, curated to local need.
  6. Growing-on space for tenant businesses through varied unit sizes of cross-sector uses.
  7. Seeding of larger, local commercial premises and / or the local high street on an ongoing basis.
  8. Solutions for awkward sites, variable lease lengths and S106 planning obligations.
  9. A packaged design and build / fit-out service managed and delivered at cost, with a success-based ongoing operating contract.
  10. Three delivery propositions - Activate, Make and Places - each adaptable to local need.

Quality that isn’t temporary or ‘meanwhile’

The flexibility of our cargo-tecture product means it can start out in one location and be moved to a second site with minimal fuss. Alternatively, CRATE can activate regeneration on a site for 5-10 years before businesses are re-housed into a purpose-built structure (or ground/lower floors).

At CRATE, our design and build philosophy for units and infrastructure is long-term. With routine maintenance, Crates have an equivalent life to conventional construction. Our unit appeal is enhanced by the sustainability of its internal construction, which exceeds modern business standards.

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Prospective sites only need a serviced land platform of:

- Road access with sufficient clearances for construction
- Pavement access & street lighting
- Electricity: 3 phase, 200 AMP
- Fibre optic broadband
- Water, mains drainage
- Level, cleared site with a Type 1 hardcore finish
- If contaminated, land to be encapsulated

Site Requirements

CRATE can develop exciting landmark schemes for your site

CRATE sites are chosen with some specific criteria, key to this is close proximity to public transport, road links or urban density. CRATE’s largely off-site construction shortens construction and reduces local disruption. CRATE has experience of a breadth of business tenant use-classes that ensure local economic requirements are fully met.
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Industrial site

CRATE can reinvent traditional manufacturing premises within often ageing industrial estates. 
This invigorates local businesses and employees, while attracting inward investment and new / unexpected tenants.
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Regeneration site

CRATE schemes are landmark and give large-scale, multi-phase, regeneration overnight interest and excitement. CRATE’s curation process brings together new and existing communities.
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Existing community site

CRATE provides needed workplace, early-stage retail premises and apartments in space-constrained existing communities. CRATE businesses co-exist with existing businesses, where start-ups that out-grow CRATE can ‘grow-on’ to the local high-street.