A new shopping centre is to be built a short drive from Huddersfield ... and here is our first look at the scheme.

The massive project is called Axiom and is positioned across from Xscape on junction 32 of the M62 .

It is still green land but work will begin on the 600,000sq retail and leisure destination later this summer which will be the base for biggest shopping centre to open in the UK for 20 years.

Website Leeds Live is reporting that it is due to attract some brand new shops which will be coming to the UK for the very first time as part of a massive new shopping centre opening in Yorkshire.

Marcus Briggs (left) and Philip Lunn from the Axiom team

Lateral Property will be leading the scheme, which will also include a 40-acre county park and a new 10,000-seat stadium for the Castleford Tigers rugby club. There will also be lots of family fun on-site.

Philip Lunn from Lateral Property said: “We are bringing some really cool and unique leisure attractions to this area. It has been a frustration for us that we haven’t been able to come out publicly and discuss the cool things we are working on. There are some great brands we are talking to right now and we aim to announce throughout the summer.

The Disney Store left Leeds City Centre - could one open in Axiom?
The Disney Store left Leeds City Centre - could one open in Axiom?

“Some of the brands will be new to the UK.”

The shopping complex, which will be around 40 minute drive from Huddersfield, has been five years in the planning and it expected to open in autumn 2021.

As our sped up video shows, the Axiom site is huge and is sure to be a huge centrepiece, visible from the M62.

Yorkshire is getting a massive new shopping centre
Yorkshire is getting a massive new shopping centre

Retail development director Marcus Briggs said: “When you get here you really understand the sheer scale of what we are undertaking. I think that is really exciting for us and also greatly exciting for the community too.

“From the very start this has been a community project with a new stadium coming for the Castleford Tigers - which we are all excited about. The sporting ethic and family dynamic of making that work is just as key as bringing in the right shop tenants.”

Given the current climate in the retail sector, it is likely Axiom will be one of the biggest centres built in the UK for a long time.

Mr Briggs said: “There’s no question that the retail world is changing significantly at the moment. I don’t think it is as simple as the internet versus a retail store.

The view from the Axiom site as it currently looks
The view from the Axiom site as it currently looks

“In terms of our project I think retailers are looking for the right location, flexibility of space and this is an opportunity for us to reinvent things.”

Could clothes retailer Uniqlo finally be opening a store up north? The glimpse of its logo in the developer pictures suggests it could well be one the big names lined up. More will be revealed as time goes on.

Mr Lunn said: “It is almost 20 years since a large out-of-town shopping centre has launched in this country and the world has changed in a many ways. There’s some really awesome stuff which hasn’t come to the country before which gives up an opportunity to redefine what a retail and leisure experience looks like.”