Plans for new commercial parks approved

Yorkshire Water’s sister company Keyland Developments has secured planning permission to create 75,000 sq ft of space over two sites in Huddersfield.

Plans approved by Kirklees Council will see the sites in Colne Bridge and Bradley transformed into two employment parks to address the local shortage of new space for small and medium sized businesses in the area.

It’s part of Keyland’s strategy to bring Yorkshire Water’s disused sites back into use to boost the region’s economy.

The firm, which is the property trading arm of Kelda Group, will now put the sites on the market to potential developers.

Keyland said the types of commercial activity on the sites will be dictated by the market.

The redundant Colne Bridge Treatment Works site, which is accessed off Colne Bridge Road, can now be transformed into some 40,000 sq ft of industrial accommodation over nine units of varying size from 1,950 sq ft upwards.

The disused Bradley Treatment Works site, accessed off Station Road, has consent to be redeveloped into a self-contained circa 35,000 sq ft industrial park comprising a range of units from 1,250 sq ft upwards.

The site sits within an existing industrial location, between new industrial developments to the south west and north east, with Bradley Junction Industrial Estate to the north.

The plans for both sites have been designed with small to medium businesses in mind following Keyland’s findings that local business parks are operating at full capacity.

The types of businesses requiring similar sized accommodation would be able to secure this at either Colne Bridge or Bradley without having to look further afield, Keyland said.

Luke Axe, planning manager at Keyland Developments, added: “We worked closely with the council and local stakeholders in order to devise two well considered schemes to bring redundant sites back into use for the benefit of the Kirklees economy.

“The delivery of 75,000 sq ft of new employment space would provide a huge boost to the area and bring about around 200 jobs which is a fantastic result for Kirklees.

“We will now be preparing to bring the sites to market in order for their full potential to be realised.”

Both proposed developments are on sites which lie within the regeneration area defined in the Kirklees Urban Development Plan (UDP)

Keyland’s planning consultants were Alistair Flatman Planning for Colne Bridge and ID Planning for Bradley.

Keyland has been operating across Yorkshire for more than 20 years, regenerating Yorkshire Water’s redundant sites.

The team also works alongside independent landowners, corporates or regulated bodies to overcome obstacles to development on strategic sites.

Its business model focuses on the start of the development cycle, gaining planning permission and overcoming obstacles such as legal issues, access and ground conditions, before selling sites to developers.