Yorkshire Counties
Keyland Completes Sale of 500,000 Sq Ft Wakefield East Site to Opus North and Bridges
The site runs adjacent to the £33m Wakefield Eastern Relief Road (WERR) which opened in 2017. Regeneration of the broader City Fields community also includes the construction or (re)development of around 2,500 houses, a primary school, health facilities, district and neighbourhood centres. Appointed agents Avison Young and Knight Frank facilitated the sale of the land on behalf of Keyland with Square One Law acting as legal team. Carter Towler and Walker Morris advised the purchaser.
Peter Garrett, Managing Director of Keyland Developments, said; “We are delighted that the sale has now completed and look forward to the planned development forming the main commercial element of this significant regional regeneration scheme.”
Calder Vale aerial 2022
Site Sold For Proposed New Major Employment Scheme Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has completed the sale of its Wakefield East site in West Yorkshire to Opus North and Bridges Fund Management for an undisclosed sum.
A planning application for the 31-acre employment scheme, now branded ‘City Fields’, was recently submitted by Keyland. The indicative layout proposes employment space totalling up to 500,000 sq ft, which could generate around 800 new jobs for the local area. The majority of the commercial site will benefit from Class B2, B8 and E(g) consent for urban logistics, as well as industrial accommodation in a varied range of unit sizes, whilst also offering scope for the development of a trade counter scheme and associated pub/restaurant/ drive-thru options.
Previously part of the redundant Yorkshire Water Calder Vale treatment works, the site will now form a key strategic element of the overall City Fields development which, at 375-acres, will play a significant role in creating a new, important, and sustainable primary employment hub to the east of Wakefield.
First City Electric Drift Karting Comes To Merrion Centre With New Drift Stop Indoor Immersive Experience
Merrion Centre adds to entertainment offer with new tenant. The first city electric drift karting indoor experience, Drift Stop, is set to launch at the Merrion Centre in the heart of the Leeds Arena Quarter. Leeds-based property investor and car parking operator, Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS), has signed its latest tenant, Drift Stop at 16-18 Merrion Centre, creating 12 jobs for the city.
The brainchild of owner/director Andreas Aristotelous who built bespoke drift cars for his two young sons to enjoy during the Covid lockdown, the adrenaline pumping adventure is not to be confused with regular go karts as these drift on an indoor, purpose-built e-drift track. The enjoyment his sons gained from the drift karts prompted Andreas to create Drift Stop to deliver a full on immersive experience.
Drift Stop has agreed terms on 7,308 sq ft of space at the Merrion Centre with the track on the ground floor and a workshop and repair station on the first floor. It will be situated in a prominent position within the main mall close to retailers Iceland, The Works, Superdrug and the Leeds United FC store.
The Leeds venue will also incorporate Arcade games offering a mix of classic and modern options from Ferrari Twin, Sega Rally and Street Fighter Multi-play to Table Football, Fastrack Air Hockey and Boxing. The venue will also offer on site food/ beverage with the new Leeds track soft launching from the 18th August 2022.
Private parties and corporate events will be available and there will be over 20 customised e-drift karts on site, with options for budding e-karters to buy their own karts which can be personalised. The experience can be enjoyed from aged 4 to adult.
The Merrion Centre is located within the highly popular Innovation District in Leeds City Centre, with an abundance of student accommodation schemes close by. Current occupiers in the Arena Quarter include some of the city’s most popular independent international eateries, big brand restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues. A 134-bed ibis Styles Hotel is also located directly opposite the first direct arena.
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Ryan Unsworth, Development Director of Opus North, said; “The acquisition of this strategic site continues our strategy of sustained growth in the northern commercial sector. The surrounding area has witnessed a considerable surge in investment and regeneration and the development of this pivotal site will make a further significant economic contribution. We are looking to commence works on site in early 2023 with a targeted completion of the first units later that year. In addition to bringing about new jobs, the development will help ease the well documented shortages of high quality industrial/commercial accommodation in the region.”
Guy Bowden, Partner at Bridges Fund Management partner, added: “The City Fields development will allow us to revitalise a previously redundant site and create over 800 new jobs for the surrounding area.”
Iain McPhail, Partner at Knight Frank, said; “City Fields is an exciting new commercial opportunity which benefits from not only access to the region’s motorway network via the M1 and M62, but also to Wakefield town centre itself.”
Rob Oliver, Principal at Avison Young, added; “‘Due to the range of plots across the development, we have considerable flexibility.”
Dean Clough Set for Further Investment as it Expands Business Space Offering
The family owners of Dean Clough, the 22-acre mixed use mill-complex in Halifax town centre, have announced further investment plans that will create more Grade A office accommodation, unique spaces for retail and leisure amenities and potential for residential apartments.
New plans include the introduction of flexible workspaces, unique outdoor pods with enhanced public realm, and the redevelopment of an historic courtyard to provide an additional nine units for retail and leisure use. Ongoing works also include the redevelopment of five floors in Bowling Mill to provide new Grade A office accommodation offering space from 3,366 sq ft to 54,768 sq ft.
Since acquiring the historic site nearly 40 years ago, Dean Clough Limited has already invested tens of millions to fund the regionally significant regeneration project. Through long term investment and considered curation Dean Clough has since become a major success story for Halifax, Leeds City Region, and indeed Yorkshire. Now a hub of over 100 organisations employing around 3,000 people, it is a destination known for its diversity, being home to a range of small independent businesses through to large enterprises such as Covea Insurance.
An established arts and cultural offering includes a theatre, two resident theatre companies, six art galleries, a permanent art collection, a dedicated arts mill, 20+ artist studios and a substantial scale Lego model of the site! Dean Clough is located on the edge of Halifax town centre, between Leeds and Manchester, and just 15 minutes from the M62 with direct train links to Leeds, Manchester, and London.
The site offers a huge variety of office, workspace, leisure and meeting areas for short- and long-term hire/rental, together with an ongoing programme of exhibitions, theatre, events, and trails.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2022
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