Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has submitted an outline planning application to Leeds City Council to bring back into use a vacant 16 acre site strategically located within the Aire Valley area of Leeds into a 265,000 sq ft mixed-employment development with the potential to create some 500 new jobs.
The site is located off Pontefract Lane, the A63 trunk road, between the existing Cross Green Industrial Estate and the Leeds City Region (Aire Valley) Enterprise Zone which is delivering a host of new developments. The site is situated between Leeds City Centre and J45 of the M1 motorway, giving ready access to the M62 motorway as well as a direct link into central Leeds.
With an allocation already in place for employment use within the Leeds Unitary Development Plan, the site’s location within the Draft Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan gives it a strategic importance within the wider vision for the area.
Keyland’s proposals seek to create a prosperous new employment hub, to be accessed directly off the A63 East Leeds Link Road Thornes Farm Roundabout, to complement the surrounding regeneration of the area and assist the council with its employment creation objectives.
The masterplan outlines 265,000 sq ft of B1, B2 and B8 industrial and commercial space with 8 units ranging in size from 20,000 sq ft up to 60,000 sq ft to reflect market demand. The proposed building plots have been sited to maximise potential occupiers’ exposure to the A63.
Peter Garrett, Managing Director of Keyland Developments Ltd, said; “Our proposals to regenerate this site, which is situated in one of the most strategically important locations in the Leeds City Region, reflect our continued commitment to bringing back into use underutilised land across Yorkshire to create development and employment opportunities. There is a responsibility with vacant sites such as this to maximise their potential and deliver sustainable development to contribute to the long-term economic prosperity of the region. The ongoing development underway in the surrounding area, along with the location within close proximity to the motorway network, indicates that a well-considered commercial and industrial scheme of this nature will prove very attractive to occupiers.”
Rupert Visick from Industrial Property specialists Gent Visick added; “We are delighted to be advising Keyland Developments in respect of this fantastic development site, it’s always exciting to be involved in a scheme with such prominence and potential. The significant frontage to the A63, combined with direct access onto this major arterial road will be a key aspect in its popularity. We are expecting strong interest from both the occupational and development sectors as we progress through the planning process”.
The site will be extensively remediated as part of the proposals and improved significantly by the provision of intermittent landscaping between the various plots with more significant landscaping featuring towards the south eastern corner of the site.
Keyland’s design team includes Enjoy Design for masterplanning and design, Lichfields as planning consultants, Wardell Armstrong as environmental consultants, WSP for Transportation & Highways, Brooks Ecological for ecology and Gent Visick for commercial property advice.