GMI Construction hosted a special event last week to commemorate the start on site for the much anticipated 300,000 sq ft retail and leisure park at Thorpe Park Leeds.
The event coincided with the announcement, by joint venture partners Scarborough International Properties and Legal & General Capital (LGC), that ODEON is to become the leisure anchor and Boots has agreed a deal to join the retail line up. Next, M&S Simply Food, TK Maxx and the Outfit are also confirmed as taking major stores at the 1.65 million sq ft phase two development.
GMI’s Managing Director, Andy Bruce joined Scarborough Chairman Kevin McCabe in welcoming guests to view site progress on a specially built platform where they could absorb the full vista of works that are now progressing apace. Visitor plaques, as seen at tourist sites, indicate where occupiers will be located and also highlight important infrastructure such as the critical East Leeds link road and new railway station.
Andy Bruce said, “Momentum is really building now at Thorpe Park Leeds as we progress this pivotal part of the project. We have been on site now for over two years progressing enabling and earthworks and as the superstructure elements for the retail and leisure part commence we have tripled our workforce to excel delivery for completion next year. We also have an engagement programme in place to support local employment and apprentice training on site and pride ourselves in ensuring that the communities in which we work benefit from our projects.”
Thorpe Park Leeds is already a well-established 800,000 sq ft business park with over 60 occupiers including IBM, GMI, Age Partnership, Atkins, Bluefin and National Grid.
Phase two is now underway delivering a further 1.65 million sq ft of mixed use accommodation. This includes an additional 940,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation alongside the 300,000 sq ft shopping and leisure park, as well as extensive parkland and sports facilities. Redrow has also purchased a part of the site and announced plans to build 300 new homes.
‘Paradigm’ is the first of the new office buildings to be completed by GMI Construction and is available for immediate occupation. It offers 31,650 sq ft of exceptional business space set over three floors with an additional feature floor and roof terrace directly overlooking the M1.
Phase two at Thorpe Park Leeds also includes delivery of the first section of the ‘East Leeds Orbital Road’, a key piece of infrastructure connecting north and east Leeds to Junction 46 of the M1. This road will unlock land for the construction of up to 7,000 new homes in the East Leeds area, land that is either already allocated in the Local Plan or which is ‘brownfield’.
Thorpe Park Leeds won the coveted ‘Best Deal’ Award at the Yorkshire Property Awards 2016 for its ground-breaking £162 million funding arrangement with Legal & General Capital. Kevin McCabe, founder and Chairman of Scarborough International Properties was also awarded Property Entrepreneur of the Year at the Insider Property Industry Awards 2016 for his role in attracting Far East investment to Yorkshire.