THE regeneration of the Sands Industrial Estate into up-to-date space for 21st century companies continues apace.

The new Wycombe Sands warehouse and office scheme is transforming the five-acre United Biscuits site in Lane End Road while the refurbished glass-fronted Artisan office block has smartened up the entrance to Hillbottom Road.

Wycombe Sands was completed in May with 70 per cent of the space pre-sold sold or let.

United Biscuits has taken one of the five units on a lease-back arrangement. Oasis Foods, manufacturer of dressings, spreads and sauces previously on the Lane End Industrial Park has expanded its operation by purchasing the freehold of Unit B and a further unit has been let to removal company Kelerbay.

Charles Miller at the Wycombe office of letting agent Duncan & Bailey-Kennedy says there is considerable interest in the larger of the two remaining buildings.

Units D (22,250 sq ft) and Unit C (14,973 sq ft) both have eight metre eaves height for greater use of palletisation in the warehouse and fully fitted first floor offices with a passenger lift and staff shower luxuries unheard of not long ago.

Duncan & Bailey-Kennedy and joint agents Savills and Holley Blake are quoting £9.95 per sq ft for Unit D which also has comfort cooling and £8.95 per sq ft for the smaller building.

Wycombe Sands is now part of New Star Property Unit Trust's £0.5bn commercial property portfolio centred on the South East.

Property manager Ken Malone who lives in Beaconsfield and was formerly with Estates & General was recruited by the company last year along with fund manager Roger Dossett.

New Star, one of the UK's fastest growing fund management companies, concentrates on the upper end of the new build market.

"Most companies looking for warehouses need high quality offices to attract top calibre staff in an economy with near full employment," observes Ken Malone.

Other recent acquisitions by the Trust include Ealing Gateway, a £34.5m six storey office block completed last December on the Uxbridge Road, W5 let to Ealing Family Housing Association and BMRB International.

New Star has also acquired the Hitachi building in Precedent Drive, Milton Keynes, three offices let to Nissan on the Rivers Office Park, Denham Way, Maple Cross and Connect 33 in Reading.

Meanwhile Duncan & Bailey Kennedy with joint agent Savills are quoting £11.75 per sq ft for the 83,000 sq ft of fully fitted offices complete with furniture in the newly refurbished Artisan building at Sands.

The investment has been acquired by Nick Sargent of Skillbond who has instructed the agents to be on the look-out for a single occupier to make it their headquarters.