Work starts at prime Wakefield development site

(L-R) Edward Marshall, Paul Kelly, Percy Pickard site manager, and Jimmy Marshall.

Work has started on site today (Wednesday 23rd September) at a prime employment park on the outskirts of Wakefield.

Leading Yorkshire property company Frank Marshall Estates bought the four-acre site at Flanshaw Way, close to Junction 41 of the M1, from Flanshaw Property Ltd for £1.3 million earlier this year.

Visiting the development this week, Edward Marshall, director of Bradford-based Frank Marshall Estates, promised to create “the best business park that Wakefield has ever had”.

He explained that the land would be developed in two phases: The first comprising 49,200 sq ft of quality industrial and office space, including a seven unit Nano Park; and the second featuring a further 30,000 sq ft of prime industrial space. This will be available as a design and build opportunity.

“The enabling works have now been completed, so work on the first phase of the development of the 37,300 sq ft Flanshaw Business Park and the 11,900 sq ft Flanshaw Nano Park has now begun. This is a tremendously exciting project, which will bring much-needed employment and business space to the Wakefield area,” said Mr Marshall.

The main contractors are Bradford-based Percy Pickard and work on this first phase is scheduled to be completed by April 2021.

Edward Marshall commented: “Wakefield is a logistics and distribution hotspot, thanks to its superb position at the centre of Yorkshire’s excellent motorway network. We estimate that the park, once it is fully developed out, will maintain 200 new and sustainable jobs, providing a substantial boost to the area’s economy.

“This is going to be a development of which Wakefield will be really proud. The city is a well-established commercial centre with a large, skilled labour force. 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.

“We aim our parks at the quality local businesses needing a property to match their business and to which they are proud to bring their customers. We also aim to bring companies from other areas into Wakefield”.

He explained that potential occupiers of Flanshaw Business Park would be trade counter operators; e-tailers; light industrial and storage specialists; and manufacturers and distributors.

“The economics of retail are changing swiftly, not least because of the rapid growth of internet shopping as a result of Covid-19. This has stimulated the demand for e-tail and storage/distribution units in prime locations. Flanshaw fits the bill perfectly.”

Meanwhile the seven unit Nano Park would follow in the footsteps of Frank Marshall Estates’ successful Nano Parks elsewhere in West Yorkshire, which feature small hybrid units, with warehousing space below and offices above.

Jimmy Marshall of Frank Marshall Estates commented: “We believe that there is a real need for units of this size in Wakefield. We are in the age of the entrepreneur with more and more small and start-up companies looking for self-contained space of their own. We are intending to provide flexible, affordable and attractive business premises to help companies of this type to grow and prosper.”

Flanshaw Property Limited is an associated company of West Yorkshire civil engineers Peter Duffy Ltd and the company originally bought the site with the purpose of developing it for partial future use by Peter Duffy Ltd (PDL).

Rob Oliver of joint marketing agents Avison Young commented: “We are delighted that Frank Marshall Estates have now started on site and we expect their proposed development to be well received by the local occupational market. We are looking forward to working with them as they now bring the whole development forward.”

The joint agents on the scheme are the Leeds office of Carter Towler and Jonathan O’Connor of Walker Singleton.