Former water works could create 800 jobs

A 57-acre water treatment site in West Yorkshire is to be sold with planning consent for 400,000 sq ft of industrial and employment space which could house 800 new jobs.
The North Bierley Water Treatment Works siteThe North Bierley Water Treatment Works site
The North Bierley Water Treatment Works site

Keyland Developments, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water, secured planning consent from Kirklees Council in March to transform the redundant North Bierley Water Treatment Works site, which has lain dormant since 2010, into a major commercial development to boost the region’s economic growth.

The plans include a ratio of 30 per cent B2 general industrial use and 70 per cent B8 storage and distribution usage.

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This was decided in response to severe regional shortages of new industrial accommodation and to support growing businesses in the locality which cannot be accommodated in the fully occupied neighbouring business parks in North Kirklees and South Bradford.

The site occupies a strategic position at the major intersection of the M62 Transpennine motorway and the M606 Bradford Link in West Yorkshire.

Keyland said the site’s location will cement its appeal to industrial occupiers and, once developed, will deliver widespread employment and economic benefits to the region.

The launch of the North Bierley site follows the sale in July of a separate 16 acre site in the Aire Valley area of Leeds with planning consent in place for 265,000 sq ft of mixed-employment development to Total Developments.

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Keyland said the sale demonstrates the appeal of well-located sites with planning in place for development to address regional shortages and Keyland anticipates similar high levels of interest in this latest development opportunity.

Peter Garrett, Keyland's managing director, said: “Following on from the successful sale of the Leeds site, we’re very aware of the strong levels of demand for unlocked land of this nature, with planning permission already in place.

"The regional industrial sector is experiencing shortages across all unit size categories and the North Bierley site is in prime position to attract occupiers seeking industrial and warehousing in a key location in the Yorkshire region.

"We take pride in our ability to bring forward these strategic sites so that they can be regenerated and make a positive impact on the area. Creating 800 jobs would be a fantastic result and we look forward to progressing discussions with interested parties.”

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Keyland has appointed Leeds-based agents Dove Haigh Phillips (DHP) to market the site.

DHP partner Mike Dove said: “The Keyland team are to be congratulated on their proactive approach to planning, land assembly and commercial master planning which have enabled this immediate opportunity. The commercial demographics of this major M62 hub are outstanding.

“The North Bierley site is surrounded by 4 million square feet of industrial estates now at full capacity. These are well populated by successful but frustrated occupiers who are hungry for new generation industrial and logistics employment space.”

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

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In addition to its work transforming former Yorkshire Water land, the team also works alongside independent landowners, corporates or regulated bodies to overcome obstacles to development on strategic sites in order to facilitate regeneration by securing planning consent for future use.