Speedibake: Site of former bakery factory destroyed by fire to be taken over by car firm
The site of an industrial bakery which was destroyed by fire is to be converted by taken over by a car business.
Wakefield Council has approved proposals to allow up to 400 vehicles to be stored on the old Speedibake factory, close to the city centre.
The bakery permanently closed following the major blaze in February 2020 which engulfed much of the city centre in a dark cloud of smoke.
Associated British Foods ended all operations at the factory which was demolished after the incident.
The company said at the time: “The financial cost and time needed to undertake a full rebuild is simply too great.”
Planners have given the go-ahead for Cars 2 Limited to store hundreds of vehicles at the one-hectare plot of land off Colinsway.
The site will serve Hyundai, Seat, Nissan and Renault car showrooms located nearby.
A statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said: “All of these sites are within a short walk to Colinsway.
“The storage of vehicles on this site, will ease congestion and enable further on site visitor/customer parking, and relocating the majority of the bulk vehicle delivery and collections to a more suitable singular location.
“The proposed layout, scale, appearance and landscaping is considered to retain the existing previous industrial/commercial use of the site, albeit having a much more open character.
“The proposals would bring back into use a currently vacant plot of land and will support the expansion, growth and productivity of an established business and employer within the Wakefield area.”
A council planning officer’s report said: “The site is a brownfield site and it is located in the city centre of Wakefield, as such it is considered that the principle of development is acceptable.
“In weighing together all relevant factors, the proposal is considered to constitute sustainable development.”
Around 160 people worked at the Speedibake factory, close to Westgate Retail Park, at the time the premises were destroyed in the fire.
At its height, more than 140 firefighters tackled the blaze, with people evacuated from nearby homes and buildings.
In a statement at the time, the company said: “We are sorry to announce that we have put forward proposals that the site should close.
“Speedibake has operated from Wakefield since 1988, and we have carefully explored a number of options to try and keep the site open.
“However, the fire completely destroyed two buildings, and those that remained suffered significant structural damage.”