Plan to build homes and industrial units on 32-acre brownfield site outlined
An early masterplan for the future of land surrounding a West Yorkshire water treatment works is set to be unveiled today, which includes plans to build homes and industrial units.
Yorkshire Water and Keyland Developments, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water, will today unveil the masterplan for the early workings of Esholt Water Treatment Works after completing the first consultation with stakeholders.
The project team is looking to deliver a “nationally recognised” development, re-purposing the largely brownfield site into somewhere that future residents and visitors can live, work and play.
Keyland Developments said that workspaces would be created, accommodating a mix of industry, with a particular focus on bio-tech businesses. It said that the provision of highly sustainable accommodation would support the growth of existing Bradford businesses, whilst promoting new investment in the region.
The live element will seek to create residential development, “resulting in one of the most sustainable residential developments in the UK – a beacon of positive living,” said the firm.
Keyland Developments added: “Creating a community to sit harmoniously with Esholt Village, the homes will have shared recreation spaces, make sensitive use of local materials and facilitate living alongside nature all whilst providing a soft transition to the natural setting. The team is looking at a density of between 22-35dph, which is similar to the existing density across Esholt.”
The development firm said that central to unlocking the full potential of the site was an integrated and comprehensive response to the range of complex transport issues.
There will be public art and design features as well as enabling integration with surrounding woodland as part of the ‘play’ aspect of the re-development.
The operational footprint of the water treatment works has reduced due to new technologies, leaving large areas of land currently redundant and unused.
The parts of the site to be re-developed include former operational works, such as old filter beds and primary tanks.
The next stage for the project team is to fully develop each of the areas. The preliminary stage has been developed utilising findings gathered at a public consultation event held earlier this month.
Until the early 20th century, the 32-acre site had been part of a natural parkland setting. The industrialisation of the site occurred in the early 20th century, with the construction of the primary settlement tanks.
Luke Axe, planning manager at Keyland Developments, said: “We had an incredibly positive and productive first consultation session where the team took a range of comments and insights from the attendees and opened dialogue about the future of this important site. Our primary goal with Esholt is to create a development of excellence which will he heralded for its sustainable practice and innovative uses, ultimately standing as a leading example of ‘positive living’.
“We take our responsibility to regenerate this site very seriously and have employed an outstanding team of experts to work closely with the range of stakeholders to develop a responsible masterplan. We have the opportunity to deliver a host of economic, social and environmental benefits through homes, employment and open space and following the event on the 18th July, will set about developing the range of design strategies further before commencing preparation of our planning application for the site.”
The Esholt project team has a collective wealth of experience delivering projects across the UK including The Eden Project Cornwall, the Natural History Museum London, the Dyson Campus Malmesbury, City Fields Wakefield and Museum of Scouting Gillwell to name a few.
Further consultations on Esholt will be conducted in Autumn.
