Frank Marshall Estates buy prime development site for £1.2m

(L-R) Edward Marshall, Chris Balme and Jimmy Marshall of Frank Marshall Estates at their new development site at Gildersome.

Leading Yorkshire property company Frank Marshall Estates has bought a prime development site at Gildersome Spur 62 Leeds development in south Leeds for £1.2 million.

The award-winning developers purchased the four-acre site by the M621 and Junction 27 of the M62 from fellow developers and namesakes Marshall CDP of Elland.

Visiting the site this week, Edward Marshall, director of Bradford-based Frank Marshall Estates, promised to create “one of the most vibrant and successful multi-let industrial parks in the area.”

He explained that the development would comprise 60,000 sq ft of quality industrial and office space and an eight-unit, 13,840 sq ft Nano Park, featuring prime workshop and office space.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to create much-needed employment and business space for the Gildersome and south Leeds area. We estimate that the park, once it is fully developed out, will maintain 200 hundred new and sustainable jobs, providing a substantial boost to the area’s economy.”

Frank Marshall Estates bought the land from Marshall CDP in an off-market deal.

Edward Marshall commented: “We have the utmost admiration for our namesakes. They are probably the most forward-thinking and successful property development company in Yorkshire. They set a gold standard for development and we have enjoyed working with them to get this exciting deal over the line.

“This is a really great opportunity for us, being one of the most prime sites in West Yorkshire and we are very grateful to Marshall CDP. We look forward to working with them again in the future.”

“The location, so close to the M621 and the M62 with access to Yorkshire’s superb motorway network, is excellent. The M62 corridor in West Yorkshire is now widely regarded as an industrial property hotspot.

“At the same time, south Leeds is a well-established commercial centre with a large, skilled labour force. We are very excited about this project and can’t wait to get started.

“We have a proven record of developing successful business parks and Nano Parks in West Yorkshire and this gives us the confidence and the belief that we can attract quality occupiers to this site,” he added.

Frank Marshall Estates have already built a fully-let 12,100 sq ft Nano Park next to their headquarters at Newhall in Bradford, with new Nano Parks currently being developed in Armley and Wakefield.

The Nano Park model creates small but perfectly-formed employment space, providing an ideal base for small and fledgling companies and satellite operations for larger firms.

Edward Marshall explained: “The astounding success of our ground-breaking Nano Park in Bradford, which is completely full, has encouraged us to repeat the model elsewhere in Yorkshire.”

Simon Marshall of Marshall CDP commented: “We are delighted that Frank Marshall Estates have bought the land and expect their proposed development will be well received by the local occupational market.”

Edward Marshall added: “We will now be working closely with Leeds City Council over planning and, all being well, we hope to start on site early next year. Watch this space. This is going to be a development of which Gildersome and south Leeds will be really proud.”

Advice for this transaction was provided by Ian Greenwood of property agents Carter Towler and Darren Birkinshaw of law firm Schofield Sweeney.