Back in 2017, GAP Hire Solutions, the largest independent rental company in the UK, purchased six acres of vacant development land in Tilbury, near Essex. After a very detailed and comprehensive planning process, construction started in early 2019 to create GAP’s biggest site and depot project to date.
The purpose-built super depot contains seven of GAP’s 10 divisions comprising Plant, Tools, Non-Mechanical, Trenching & Shoring, Welfare Services, Tanker Services and Lifting & TIC.
GAP invested £4m in buying the land and a further £5m has been spent on building the state-of-the-art property on the 6-acre plot. The £9m total investment saw the creation of two adjoining depot campuses made up of a 10,000 square feet workshop and office space for Tilbury Plant & Tools and Tilbury Lifting & TIC, and another 8,000 square feet space which is occupied by Tilbury Non-Mechanical/Trenching & Shoring and Tilbury Welfare Services/Tanker Services. The two separate buildings also come with their own 2-acre concrete yards.
This project has opened three brand new GAP depots – Non-Mechanical/Trenching & Shoring, Lifting & TIC and Welfare Services/Tanker Services – with Thurrock Plant & Tools relocating to the Tilbury location. Due to this, the hire company’s London Vehicle Hire depot will be replacing Thurrock Plant & Tools in the recently vacated site, meaning a move from its current South Ockendon location to the Frogmore Industrial Estate in Thurrock, Essex.
Ideally situated just off the M25 ring road and located on a highly prominent roundabout feeding into the Tilbury Docks on the A1089, which leads onto the A13 into London and Essex, GAP’s newest and largest location boasts great access to London and the surrounding areas.
Douglas Anderson, Managing Director at GAP, commented: “Customers are delighted that the Grays and Essex areas will be better serviced by seven GAP divisions from this first-class facility.”
On discussing the extensive planning and work that has gone into this huge project, Douglas added: “Clever design coupled with high security and flexibility have helped to develop a blueprint that will be used for future new depots.”
