Work starts on 40,000 sq ft Foundry Park in Keighley following Brexit

Work has begun on a 40,000 sq ft speculative build in Keighley with the developer behind the scheme citing clarity around Brexit as a key reason for its commencement.

Ilkley-based Turner Developments has given the green light to the £3.5m project on a former council-owned site at Dalton Lane.

The building, which will overlook the Dalton Mills complex, should be ready for occupation by July 2020, the developer said.

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James Turner, of Turner Developments, said: “We’ve had planning permission for the site since the spring of 2019 but we felt we had to hold back because of political uncertainty and the log-jam over Europe.

(L-R) Ian Hayfield of Hayfield Robinson, Bill Horsley of Horsley Townsend and James Turner of Turner Developments at 
Foundry Park, Keighley.(L-R) Ian Hayfield of Hayfield Robinson, Bill Horsley of Horsley Townsend and James Turner of Turner Developments at 
Foundry Park, Keighley.
(L-R) Ian Hayfield of Hayfield Robinson, Bill Horsley of Horsley Townsend and James Turner of Turner Developments at Foundry Park, Keighley.

“Now that we are in a more favourable business climate and we know the direction of travel, we feel able to press ahead,”

Turner Developments has been active in Keighley for more than a decade. In 2014, the company developed Aireside Business Park, a 260,000 sq ft project, for seven occupiers and in 2017 it completed a 370,000 sq ft development at Riverside Business Park for five occupiers.

Mr Turner said: “Keighley is a place that continues to surprise us.

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“There is a lot of business activity in the area. The town keeps producing very well-established, listed and long-standing engineering and manufacturing companies which seem to be constantly coming forward with requirements for more space.”

The new build is going ahead on the site of a Victorian-era building which was formerly part of Keighley College. The building was demolished five years ago and the site has remained untouched since then.

It was acquired from Bradford Council and Homes England.

Main contractor Bradford-based Stainforth Construction has been on site for three weeks.

“The building is categorised as light industrial or warehousing. It is aimed at the sector of the market which we think is most in demand in the Aire Valley but we remain open minded about whether to let or sell the property,” Mr Turner said.

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Once complete, the development will carry the name Foundry Park, a nod to one of Mr Turner’s descendants.

“Back in the mid 1850’s, my great, great grandfather, Edwin Turner, operated the Eagle Ironworks foundry nearby,” he said. “I thought that, in naming this building Foundry Park, it was a way to give a little nod to one of my ancestors and to recognise that this was once a thriving centre of employment. Hopefully it will be again.”

Ilkley-based Horsley Townsend has acted as architects for the project. Atkinson Associates and Hayfield Robinson are joint agents for the development.

Ian Hayfield, from Hayfield Robinson, said: “There’s a pent up demand for industrial units throughout the Aire valley and surrounding districts. I’ve not seen such strong demand in the last 20 years.

“This new building will work as a single 40,000 sq ft unit or two 20’s and we’re happy to discuss specific requirements in detail.”

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