Blueprint for green retail park could see 6,000 jobs

The plans, which are due to be submitted for the next phase of the development at Thorpe Park, near Leeds, could reduce traffic congestion and provide space for fast-growing small businesses.

Scarborough Development Group has drawn up a new masterplan which will provide accommodation for up to 6,500 employees.

It’s also proposed to have a mix of businesses on the park, including shops, a food store, cafes and restaurants.

The plans include up to 25-acres of public open space within Thorpe Park, which will provide a link to a 113-acre public park, Green Park.

Local people are being given the chance to have their say on the scheme at a series of public exhibitions.

Scarborough Development Group plans to analyse the public feedback and make changes in response to it.

It will then re-present plans during a further week of public exhibitions running between July 10 and 14.

Around 45 per cent of the development will be designated as green space, which is in keeping with the tastes of modern businesses, according to Scarborough Development Group.

Around 600,000 sq ft of office space has already been built at Thorpe Park.

Current occupiers include IBM, National Grid, GE Capital, Vinci, BAM, Regus and United Utilities.

Scarborough Development Group already has planning permission to build more than 1.8m sq ft of office space at Thorpe Park.

The company said its new proposals are designed to meet the changing needs of occupiers.

Mark Jackson, the managing director, Scarborough Development Group, said: “Since Thorpe Park was first developed, the requirements of business occupiers have evolved significantly.

“Modern companies and their staff now demand more convenience to support their working lives, more amenities and facilities on hand, and greater sustainability, especially in how they travel to their place of work.

“We believe that our new plans can provide something new to meet the needs of modern business occupiers.

“It will improve the park for both existing and future occupiers, and critically, for our neighbours in the communities of east Leeds.

“Thorpe Park’s potential will be greatly enhanced in this way, bringing more jobs, more growth and greater prospects for local people.

“Thorpe Park has the potential to boost the economy of the city region and help cement Leeds’ position as a regional capital.

“It can also provide thousands of job opportunities for local people, built around a more diverse economy and range of uses on the park.”

Mr Jackson said that the needs of businesses today were different from the 1990s.

He said he hoped the new plans would help to attract a wider range of occupiers.

He acknowledged that the out-of-town office market was still in the doldrums, but there was still an active market for retailers.

He said the UK property market resembled the general economy – it was “up and down”.

However, the overall commercial property market was better than last year, with more activity in Leeds.

He added: “We want to create a truly diverse business community and the development will have a significant knock-on effect to support regeneration.”

A spokesman for the Scarborough Development Group said that a new road serving Thorpe Park would form part of the Manston Lane Link Road, which will relieve congestion on the A6120 and the motorway.

The spokesman added: “There is already a planning consent in place for the road and, if consent is granted for the new masterplan, it will be one of the first elements to be built on the new scheme.

“Critically, the new mix of uses should accelerate development at the site and bring more jobs to the area over the coming years.”

Scarborough Development Group is the property development arm of Scarborough Group International. Founded by Kevin McCabe in 1980, Scarborough Group International, has grown from a UK based developer and investor into a global player.

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