Major plan unveiled for disused water site

Keyland Developments has outlined its vision to create one of the '˜top five' most sustainable living and working developments in the UK.
Esholt Water Treatment WorksEsholt Water Treatment Works
Esholt Water Treatment Works

The property trading firm and its sister company Yorkshire Water have unveiled the early workings of a masterplan for the future of land surrounding the Esholt Water Treatment Works in between Leeds and Bradford.

Using a team which has delivered schemes including The Eden Project in Cornwall and the Natural History Museum in London, the companies want to turn a 32-acre, predominantly brownfield, site into somewhere that future residents and visitors can live, work and play.

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Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, Luke Axe, planning manager at Keyland, said: “We have been all over the UK to look at leading residential developments and also Holland to see how it responds to excess water.

“We want to reduce water consumption to below anything elsewhere in the UK and use the site as a means to improve the wider flood network by bringing water onto the site.”

Mr Axe said the company was also looking to build a district heating system using heat from the treatment works as well as exploring the potential for biomass power. “It’s not about one individual technology or approach, it’s about a whole package,” he added.

Approximately 100-150 homes would be built on the site, whilst the other end of the scheme would create innovative workspaces, with a particular focus on bio-tech businesses.

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Mr Axe said the company was addressing traffic concerns raised by residents at a recent consultation event. He added: “Naturally people are concerned about the increased amount of traffic this development will bring to an already busy route. I am looking at this whole project as an opportunity to improve that situation with a package of transport improvement measures.”

Further consultations on Esholt will be conducted in Autumn 2018.