St Paul’s Developments has been awarded £2.45m of funding from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to undertake major remediation and infrastructure works at its 110 acre former chemical works site in Knottingley, Wakefield. The works will pave the way for a new £750M power station to be built and operated by the leading Irish energy company, ESB which could deliver around 1000 construction jobs.
The £2.45m of funding has been allocated from the LEP’s Growing Places fund which provides loans for projects that will create economic and employment growth in the city region. The loan will be repaid and so available to the LEP to recycle to other projects.
Following detailed discussions with Wakefield Council about planning options for the extensive 110 acre site, ‘Special Policy Designation’ was granted in September 2012 which provides flexibility in the way the site is utilised. This enabled regeneration specialist St Paul’s Developments to masterplan the scheme to include an Energy Centre and additional long-term plans for employment and residential uses.
St Paul’s Developments has already undertaken the demolition and decommissioning of the 25 acre section of the Knottingley site which had been the former home of Oxiris Chemicals for some 70 years in the first element of the site’s transformation.
The first phase of development at Knottingley will be the creation of a £750M Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station on a 50 acre plot capable of providing electricity to up to two million homes as well as bringing around 1000 construction jobs with permanent positions upon completion.
St Paul’s Developments has agreed a deal with the Irish based international energy company ESB to develop the power station, subject to the successful outcome of their planning application which is set to be determined by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by April 2015. In order to prepare the site for handover, St Paul’s Developments applied for the loan from the Leeds City Region LEP to commence major remediation and enabling works.
Dennis Enuson, Development Manager at St Paul’s Developments, said; “We are delighted to have secured the funding from the Growing Places Fund to enable us to further prepare the site for the power station project which would represent a significant investment into the Leeds City Region. Our long-term vision is to bring the redundant site back to life by creating a mix of uses which can happily co-exist on such an extensive site. The Special Policy Designation will enable us to maximise the potential of the site and due to its scale, we can create a sustainable environment in a high quality landscaped setting.”
Roger Marsh Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership said; “This project represents an ideal use of our Growing Places Fund and we are pleased to support the regeneration of this brownfield site. In the longer term, the benefits that this work will bring to the city region are significant, including substantial inward investment, the creation of both short and long term jobs, new opportunities for businesses and newly built homes. ”
