Landmark deal for chocolate factory site in city

A question mark has remained over the future of the historic site after confectionary production came to an end nearly eight years ago in a huge blow to the city’s traditional manufacturing sector.

However, the Yorkshire Post can reveal today that a deal has been hammered out to create a state-of-the-art business park and build hundreds of new houses and apartments on the 27-acre site on the outskirts of York. Two of the UK’s leading property companies, Henry Boot Developments Ltd and the York-based housebuilder David Wilson Homes, have bought the site for an undisclosed sum from the previous owners, GHT Developments LLP.

It is understood that plans for the business and retail park have already attracted interest from firms based both in the UK and overseas, although directors at Henry Boot Developments, which has its head offices in Sheffield, admitted negotiations to bring in new enterprise are still at an early stage.

The sale of the site, which has been dubbed The Chocolate Works, has come as York Council unveiled a city-wide vision to build 22,000 homes while 20 sites have been identified for economic development which could bring as many as 16,000 new jobs.

The council’s leader James Alexander claimed the re-development of the former factory site will form a cornerstone of the draft Local Plan, which the council announced on Friday. The planning brief would be the first city-wide development plan since 1956, but political opponents have savaged the draft document after greenbelt land is earmarked for homes.

Coun Alexander was adamant there is a “moral argument” to satiate demand for housing and stressed the re-development of the Terry’s site will help to address the city’s affordable homes crisis, with average property prices in excess of £201,000 while average wages are just £20,420.

He added: “This announcement shows the confidence investors have in York’s growing economy and it is good news for such an iconic piece of York’s heritage that needs protecting for future generations. This confidence will continue to grow and will fulfil the ambition in our recent announcement for 22,000 new homes.

“This also shows how brownfield sites are also the priority for homes. However, even if all these sites were built out fully for homes, this still would not meet our current need for homes let alone our need for future generations of York residents.

“Therefore we have announced that we should allocate an additional 1.8 per cent of draft greenbelt land for homes. There is not only an economic argument do to do so, but a moral one too.”

David Wilson Homes Yorkshire East’s managing director, Paul Newman, revealed work on a £75m programme to build 270 houses and apartments could begin as early as this summer. The re-development of the whole site could take as long as a decade with housing centred on the north of the estate with the remainder of the land used for offices, hotels and shops.

Planning approval for the site was granted to the previous owners in 2010, although so-called Section 106 agreements still need to be agreed for developers to finance improvements to infrastructure and community facilities. Henry Boot Developments will be responsible for developing commercial buildings, and a revised planning application may need to be submitted depending on any deviation from initial details which were approved.

York Council’s cabinet member for transport, planning and sustainability, Coun Dave Merrett, welcomed the sale and admitted concerns had been growing over the deteriorating state of buildings, including the famous Grade II listed Clock Tower.

Plant closure cost 300 jobs

INTENSE speculation has remained over the future of the Terry’s factory site since its closed in 2005 with the loss of more than 300 jobs.

All Gold and Chocolate Oranges were among the confectionery made at the factory which opened in 1926 before US parent company Kraft transferred production to Europe. GHT Developments LLP bought the site in 2006 and planning permission was given in 2010 after an initial application was refused two years earlier due to fears over traffic levels and whether there was an adequate infrastructure to cope with the scale of development. Work began in March last year to prepare the site for re-development, but GHT Developments LLP put it back on the market less than three weeks later.