Plans have been unveiled for a major industrial and business park in Kirklees which it is claimed could create 1,000 jobs.

Yorkshire Water’s sister company, Keyland Developments, aims to transform the 57-acre former water treatment works at North Bierley, near Cleckheaton.

Keyland, which is responsible for regenerating Yorkshire Water’s redundant sites, is set to submit a planning application to Kirklees Council to transform the site, which stands close to the M62 at Chain Bar and the M606.

The application seek to create some 500,000sq ft of employment space for a range of industrial and distribution uses and aims to tackle a “chronic” shortage of new industrial accommodation in the region.

The company said that in the first half of 2014, almost 550,000sq ft of industrial space was acquired in Yorkshire which was double the amount let in the same period last year. This resulted in a severe drop in supply of stock – with particularly limited availability along the M62 corridor in West Yorkshire.

Nearby business parks in North Kirklees and South Bradford, as well as the wider area, are already operating at full capacity, offering very limited opportunities for local and regionally based businesses to expand, Keyland said.

Keyland said its proposals could bring back into use one of the most strategically located and extensive sites in the region and see the creation of an employment-generating industrial and business park which would make a significant contribution to the economic regeneration of the area.

Peter Garrett, managing director of Keyland Developments Ltd, said; “The chronic shortage of quality industrial accommodation within the region has been well-documented and the creation of this new park is intended to address that and also deliver a significant number of new jobs and expansion opportunities to the local area.

See the gallery below for the weekday Huddersfield commute in numbers - including along the M62 towards Leeds and Bradford.

 

“The North Bierley site has been redundant since 2010 and – due to its capacity and exceptional connectivity – lends itself ideally to industrial usage. We are looking forward to progressing with our planning application in the forthcoming weeks.”

Mike Dove, partner at property agent Dove Haigh Phillips, which is acting for Keyland, said; “This site has such multi-level appeal due to the proposed combination of unit sizes. It is welcome news not only for the broader market where supply is so restricted but also for more local and regional businesses who have been successfully operating from nearby business parks and wish to expand.

“With such a strong location on the M62 corridor, this scheme will inevitably draw in regional investment which is extremely positive news.”

Keyland will unveil its plans at a public exhibition from 3.30pm to 7.30pm today (TUES) at Woodlands Cricket Club, Albert Terrace, Oakenshaw.