Former colliery and power station near Leeds to get new lease of life under latest plans

The plans include up to 2 million sq ft of space at Harworth’s Gascoigne Wood site, with a further 800,000 sq ft at Skelton Grange.

Gascoigne Wood is a 185-acre former colliery site in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. Harworth said that the site benefits from an existing rail connection through the Sherburn Rail Freight Terminal and also lies in close proximity to the A1(M) and the M62.

Last year Network Rail began using part of the site as a logistics hub to support the Transpennine Route Upgrade Project. Harworth’s plans for the site would see the development of up to 2 million sq ft of rail-linked industrial and logistics space.

Skelton Grange is a 50-acre site adjacent to Junction 45 of the M1, to the south-east of Leeds city centre.

The site was formerly the location of the Skelton Grange Power Station and was acquired by Harworth in 2014, with remediation and enabling works commencing shortly after.

In April 2020, Harworth sold 19.5 acres of land at the site to Enfinium for the development of an Energy from Waste facility, which is currently under construction and expected to be operational in late 2023. In August 2021, further plans were approved for the development of a 99-megawatt battery storage facility on a 5.4-acre parcel on the site.

Harworth’s plans for Skelton Grange would see the development of up to 800,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space across up to five units, ranging in size from 126,000 sq ft to 202,000 sq ft.

Alongside infrastructure upgrades, the plans include a segregated cycle and pedestrian path that is proposed to connect to the Trans Pennine Trail and Sustrans Route 67, as well as tree planting, hedge planting and other ecological enhancements.

The developments will add to Harworth’s direct development pipeline for industrial and logistics assets and help to transition its investment portfolio to Grade A.

These are key tenets of Harworth’s recently announced strategy to double the size of its business over the next five to seven years.

All buildings are to be developed to achieve a minimum of BREEAM Very Good standard and EPC Rating A, while maximising opportunities for the buildings to be net zero carbon in construction and operation.

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Harworth recently submitted plans for up to 150 homes on its Parkside development, and a further application for up to 75 homes at Monkhill, both located in Pontefract. Both these proposals will complement Harworth’s existing Prince of Wales development in this area.

Planning determinations for all four applications are expected during 2022.

Andrew Blackshaw, chief operating officer at Harworth, said: “Our planned developments at Gascoigne Wood and Skelton Grange would meet the increasing demand for Grade A industrial and logistics assets in this part of Yorkshire, supporting jobs and further investment locally.

"In addition, they will add to Harworth’s extensive direct development pipeline, a key driver of our strategy to double the size of our business.”

Chris Davidson, associate director for major projects at Harworth, added: “These exciting new plans present unique opportunities to bring additional employment space to the region.

"The proposals at Gascoigne Wood seek to capitalise on the unique rail connectivity and the site has the ability to attract major inward investment and deliver supply to meet the projected demand arising from rail freight growth in the UK.

"At Skelton Grange, we will provide up to 800,000 sq ft of industrial & logistics space with great connectivity to Leeds city centre.”