A MAJOR development in West Yorkshire is set to create new jobs for an Elland building firm.

Marshall Construction is main contractor for a £35m scheme to build a hotel and leisure facilities at Broad Street in Halifax.

Now it is gearing up to employ more than 200 people on the project after developers finalised a funding deal for the ambitious scheme.

Santander Corporate Banking will fund the project, which also secures the larger £50m Broad Street Plaza development – one of the largest regeneration schemes to start on site in Yorkshire this year.

The Broad Street Plaza scheme aims to provide leisure facilities including a nine-screen cinema, a ten-pin bowling complex, offices, a 100-bed hotel and restaurant, branded bars and restaurants with outdoor seating areas, a health centre and extra town centre parking.

Simon Marshall, of Marshall Construction, said that more than 200 people would be working on-site at peak times.

He said winning the contract had enabled the Huddersfield Road firm to return to full-time employees who had previously been working three or four-day weeks due to the recession.

Mr Marshall said there would be new employment opportunities, adding: “We will be recruiting skilled and unskilled workers – everything from site manager level to the guard on the gate.

“This is a fantastic project for us and for Calderdale.”

Developers said the Broad Street scheme was also set to create more than 220 permanent posts and bring an extra £8m a year to the local economy.

The funding agreement with Santander follows a £3m investment from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward earlier this year, which enabled Marshall Construction to begin clearance works to start on the site.

The 277,000sq ft scheme is already 70% pre-let, according to David Brimblecombe, managing director of developer Gregory Projects, part of the Leeds-based Gregory Group.

Mr Brimblecombe said: “To secure a funding deal of this size on a major mixed used scheme in the current climate is fantastic news and a very positive message for the region.”

Clr Barry Collins, councillor with responsibility for economy and environment at Calderdale Council, said the development would have a big impact on Halifax during building work and after completion, but added: “This is an important project for the future of our community.”