Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has submitted a planning application to Wakefield Council for a new employment scheme on its 54-acre Wakefield East site in West Yorkshire. The proposals for City Fields Waterside Park Business Hub can incorporate up to 500,000 sq. ft of employment space which translates to some 800 jobs for the local area.
Keyland’s strategic site, which was part of the redundant Yorkshire Water Calder Vale treatment works, forms the primary employment element of the 375-acre City Fields development which is creating a new sustainable extension to the east of Wakefield.
The outline planning application seeks to create a diverse employment scheme to act as a catalyst for employment creation and business development for a range of end users. The proposals incorporate 500,000 sq. ft of B1, B2 and B8 business and industrial accommodation in a range of unit sizes together with potential pub/restaurant/drive-thru and trade counter development plots.
The new £33m Wakefield Eastern Relief Road (WERR), which was completed and opened to traffic in April 2017, forms the backbone of the proposed scheme. Wakefield East Consortium has promoted a Masterplan framework for development sites along the WERR and City Fields Waterside Park Business Hub has been identified as a future employment area.
The broader City Fields community will include approximately 2,500 houses, a primary school, health facilities, district, and neighbourhood centres along with Keyland’s extensive site and Wakefield own adopted Local Plan policy states that:
“…this allocation is one of the key proposals within the development strategy for Wakefield and the wider district. This site is located in an area where there is a key policy objective to provide employment and skills development opportunities for local residents.”
Matthew Turnbull, Planning & Development Manager at Keyland Developments Ltd, said; “The completion of the WERR has accelerated the regeneration of the whole City Fields area and this site is strategically important due to the significant job creation potential it will deliver as the major employment element.”
Knight Frank and Avison Young are appointed agents on City Fields Waterside Business Hub.
