The 70 acre site was acquired from Greatline Developments and already has an outline planning consent.

LondonMetric said: “Construction of the main works is expected to commence late summer with practical completion targeted for summer 2015.”

The site has already been pre-let to a “Top 25 retailer” with Primark reported to be a potential occupier.

The total cost of the development is £77m.

Andrew Jones, Chief Executive of LondonMetric, said: “This is one of the UK’s largest ever pre-let developments and an integral part of our strategy to deliver well let short cycle developments in partnership with our key operators.

“The distribution market is evolving very quickly with take-up forecast at 50 million sq ft over the next five years.

“We are a partner of choice to many of the UK’s leading operators and look forward to delivering this latest generation distribution centre which will materially enhance our existing portfolio and significantly grow our contracted rental income.”