Up to 100 jobs could be created with plans to develop a disused site for business, it is claimed.
Nursery products firm Mamas & Papas has sold a 2.73 acre site next to its headquarters at Colnebridge .
The land at Colne Bridge Road has been bought for an undisclosed sum by property company Frank Marshall Estates.
Now the Bradford-based company is preparing to submit a planning application to Kirklees Council for a “high quality employment park” – to be named Colne Bridge Business Park – which it claims could create up to 100 jobs.
Mark Hanson, of Huddersfield-based Hanson Chartered Surveyors, who advised Mamas & Papas on the sale, said the site had attracted considerable interest from potential buyers before Frank Marshall Estates concluded the deal. He said: “It was sold in a competitve environment, which is a good pointer for the developer that there is demand.”
Edward Marshall, a director of Frank Marshall Estates, described the acquisition as “an extremely important purchase for us”.
He added: “There is a distinct lack of high-quality and flexible industrial units in the Huddersfield area, so we are hoping to satisfy the pent-up demand from small-to-medium-sized businesses, who are looking for attractive, practical and modern premises, combining warehousing and distribution space with hi-tech office facilities.
“The exact size of the units will be determined by the needs of potential occupiers, which will be crucial as we develop out our business park. Units will range from 5,000sq ft to 40,000sq ft and may be developed speculatively or on a design-and-build basis. All options are open.”
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Fellow director Jimmy Marshall said: “Although Frank Marshall Estates has extensive interests in West Yorkshire, this is our first major development in Huddersfield – one of the county’s foremost towns with a splendid industrial history.
“We are proud to be contributing to the area’s economy, by building bespoke business/industrial units and creating jobs. We are committed to the town.”
Mr Hanson, who is marketing the site for Frank Marshall Estates, said: “Considerable interest has already been expressed by a number of prospective tenants for the site and we are looking forward in engaging with them once all alternatives for the site have been considered.”
He said: “We are talking to a couple of companies, one of which is a manufacturer. “Architects are working on a scheme that will show what can be done on the site in terms of the number of units.”
The site, which is surplus to Mamas & Papas’ requirements, is in an area already established as an industrial and warehousing location. Nearby occupiers include Mamas & Papas, engineering firm VTL and textile company CJ Antich.
