A major redevelopment, inspired, conceived and developed by The Hartley Group, has been completed. This is part of the strategy to regenerate Hartleys historic industrial investment in Yorkshire into the innovation sector and to form a major part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative. As part of the strategy, Hartley has transformed one of Kirklees’ most valued landmark buildings at the centre of its growing hub for innovation, with up to 80,000 sq ft of space available from May 2021.
Globe Innovation Centre Ltd, a partnership between Hartley Property Trust Ltd, 3M, The University of Huddersfield and Kirklees Council, has invested more than £5 million to transform The Globe in Slaithwaite, a stunning village within the hotbed of enterprise emerging in Kirklees.
The Globe has renovated all five floors in the first of two significant buildings that were originally built in 1887 for textiles production. The site now provides a state of the art innovation centre, laboratory space, medical suites, offices and retail space complete with a unique Artisan Hall.
The sympathetic renovation is impressive, retaining the industrial heritage but providing high specification, contemporary styled business space with superfast connectivity and IT faciliites. Features include the historic exposed timber floors and brickwork in open plan rooms flooded with light, exposed beam ceilings and 168 on site car parking spaces.
Last year Hartley Property Trust agreed a 15 year lease with Colne Valley Group Practice and a pharmacy to occupy 6,000 sq ft of ground floor space in the building. Triton Construction is currently fitting out the medical facility, on behalf of Globe Developments Ltd, to provide consultation rooms, a minor operations room, nurse treatment rooms, administration space and a large multi use training room as well as the adjacent pharmacy. When it opens in May, it is believed that the medical centre will support over 10,000 patients .
The remaining medical space on the first floor is being targeted at ancillary health services such as dentist, optician, physiotherapist and holistic services with suites available from 500 to 7,500 sq ft.
Larger floor plates are offered for office occupation from 1,000 sq ft to 15,000 sq ft.
The Innovation Centre offers incubator office and laboratory accommodation from 150 sq ft upwards with business support available from the University of Huddersfield, 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and Kirklees Council.
Turnkey packages are being offered for research and development of medical, pharmaceutical and associated technologies.
The Artisan Hall provides ‘shell specification ready’ opportunities for specialist food, drink and other local producers from 1,000 sq ft up to 7,500 sq ft. for larger restaurant and bar operators. Units are also available from 3,000 sq ft to 7,500 sq ft. at ground floor level for retail/convenience units with car park and canal frontages.
The Globe commands an impressive canal-side position in the centre of Slaithwaite which is one of the most picturesque villages in the Colne Valley. It is located on the main A62 trunk road linking Huddersfield with Manchester with direct rail access to Huddersfield town centre, Leeds, Manchester and beyond. The redevelopment also includes a new pedestrian bridge over the canal basin, linking to Carr Street which is the main retail area and high street of Slaithwaite.
Chris Smith, spokesman for Hartley, said, “We are delighted to bring to market this exciting new development which has already attracted significant interest with terms out to three major occupiers.
“Kirklees is home to 14,000+ businesses with core sectors including advanced manufacturing and precision engineering, textiles, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, and creative and digital industries. It was recently named the second best place in the UK to set up and run a business and we believe that The Globe is offering the right space at the right time.”
Sue Cooke, Chief Executive at 3M Buckley Innovation Centre said, “The Globe Innovation Centre is a stunning facility with the best of heritage and contemporary facilities, perfectly located between Leeds and Manchester on the Transpennine corridor.
“The 3M Buckley Innovation Centre is supporting this opportunity for grow-on space for a number of our tenants, some of whom will be the first to occupy the prestigious top floor workspaces. Our relationships with the University of Huddersfield, the Council, the LEP and The Globe will create a strong eco-system of innovation and business support for such growing firms, helping to create high tech jobs.”
Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the LEP and the NP11 group of Northern local enterprise partnerships, said, “This new development in Kirklees provides a significant opportunity to support businesses in our region. Leeds City Region is a place where innovators are supported and have access to the very best talent, universities and businesses to collaborate with. The Globe Innovation Centre will be a space for true collaboration and will boost the already thriving innovation ecosystem in the Leeds City Region.”