WORK is soon to begin on a £1.5 million project to convert a former warehouse at Clifton Moor into a new distribution centre for Menzies Distribution Ltd.

Its completion by Totty Building Services, scheduled for the end of February, will mean the York magazines and periodicals distribution centre of Menzies Distribution Ltd, moving from James Street, York, into the revamped premises in James Nicholson Way, which at 28,000 sq ft is more than double the size. All 70 employees will move with it.

The new building was used as a warehouse by toy distributor JA Magson until this year when it moved into the massive 140,000 sq ft former Lawson Mardon packaging plant in nearby Kettlestring Lane.

Totty will strip out the former Magson warehouse to its shell, then reconfigure the internal layout, constructing a steel-frame mezzanine floor with two-storey office accommodation, accessible by a new lift installation.

Minor repair work will be carried out on the building's faade to repair damaged cladding panels and the contractor will install a state-of-the-art CCTV and alarm system.

The project also involves significant external works, with Totty forming a new access road to the warehouse and creating a large concrete hard-standing area to accommodate delivery vehicles.

Enhancements to the drainage system and new hard and soft landscaping works will also be carried out as part of the contract.

Barry Harvey, Menzies' southern regional manager in charge of England, said: "We have outgrown our distribution centre just off James Street where we handle wholesale distribution of magazines and periodicals in York, but also pack them for our spoke depots in Scarborough and Hull.

"It is all a question of elbow room within the building as well as outside where we need yard space for accepting deliveries from publishers and have increasing need for our delivery vans."

Menzies is also installing a new weighbridge at its Clifton Moor depot "to continue to ensure that every vehicle that goes out from there is 100 per cent legal," said Mr Harvey.

Updated: 09:43 Tuesday, October 18, 2005