Foundry Orpington: flexible light industrial units and office/studios

Small businesses that make, store or ship physical goods have long had a gap in the property market. A garage or lock-up soon runs out of room, but a conventional industrial unit usually means a long lease, a fit-out bill and a sizeable deposit. Foundry is aiming squarely at that gap at Riverside House, 1 New Mill Road, Orpington BR5 3QA , with a run of flexible micro industrial units on Crayfields Business Park. Six ground-floor units from 380 sq ft The ground floor of Riverside House is given over to six warehouse and light industrial units , totalling around 3,800 sq ft. Each comes with loading bay access, a roller shutter door, CCTV and 24/7 access, so occupiers can take deliveries, load vans and work the hours their business needs. Unit Size Price (per month, plus VAT) Unit 6 380 sq ft £1,400 Unit 2 465 sq ft £1,600 Unit 3 465 sq ft £1,600 Unit 5 755 sq ft £3,000 Unit 4 860 sq ft £3,000 Unit 1 870 sq ft £3,000 Sizes and prices are from the FlexWorkspace listing at the time of writing and may change. All prices are plus VAT, with a 12-month minimum term. Who micro industrial space suits Foundry is clear about its target market. E-commerce brands can pack and dispatch daily orders from the unit rather than a spare room. Makers and small-batch producers get a proper workshop. Trades such as window fitters, electricians and installers get a secure base for materials and tools. Couriers and fulfilment operators get loading access close to the main roads. The location supports that. Crayfields sits in the Cray Valley, which Foundry describes as the largest cluster of industrial space in the borough of Bromley. The A20 is less than half a mile away and the M25 is within easy reach, and there is on-site parking. St Mary Cray is the nearest railway station, about a mile from the building. Workshop and office in one building What sets the site apart from a standard industrial estate is the floor above. The first-floor units, of about 225 to 655 sq ft, are multi-use spaces that occupiers can set up as an office or studio. A product business can keep stock and dispatch downstairs and its admin or sales team upstairs, with Wi-Fi, meeting and breakout space, reception, a kitchen, cleaning and utilities included. First-floor units are listed from £800 a month plus VAT. Meeting rooms for up to six people can also be booked by the hour. The terms Foundry says its units give businesses what a full industrial unit offers, without the five-year lease, the fit-out costs or a large deposit. The live listing shows a minimum term of 12 months, which is still well short of a traditional industrial letting. It is worth reading the terms in full before committing. Orpington is currently Foundry's only site with workshop space. Its other locations, in Eastbourne, Hove, Poole, Walthamstow and Wandsworth, focus on coworking, private offices and studios. If you are weighing up small industrial, workshop or studio space in south-east London and Kent, you can view the micro industrial units at Foundry Orpington and explore other flexible workspace on FlexWorkspace .