Major development potential at the heart of Yorkshire

By Selby District Council

This month has seen the submission of major plans to develop a former mine site in the Selby district at Gascoigne Interchange, which could support around 2,000 new jobs.  Selby District Council has been working with site owners, Harworth Estates, to put forward these proposals.  They’ll now be considered as part of the planning process.

Gascoigne Interchange is just one of five major development sites in the Selby district – at the heart of Yorkshire – which means it’s taking its place as one of the major investment areas for our region.

Combined, these sites are set to deliver thousands of new jobs and open up brownfield land for major new housing too.  The importance of these sites to support growth across Yorkshire has been recognised by central government and regional organisations, such as the Leeds City Region LEP and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP.  For example, the government has pledged nearly £9m to invest in new infrastructure at Olympia Park – a major new mixed-use urban quarter close to the Selby town centre.

This brownfield site has easy access to the A63 Selby bypass and Selby station – which is well served with links to Leeds, Manchester, Hull and York, as well as direct services to London.  Selby District Council has been working with landowners on the site to bring forward a masterplan, which will include around 1,500 new homes as well as significant new business space.

Elsewhere, development is well underway at Sherburn2, which is set to deliver around 2,500 new jobs for eastern side of Selby district, with easy access to and from the A1 and Leeds.  The first new occupants have been announced this month.  The site has benefitted from support from Selby District Council and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP, helping to open up the site to deliver new jobs.

At Church Fenton, between York and Leeds, the District Council is working alongside the landowners and others to support a new creative hub.  The site is already home to the Yorkshire Studios, where ITV have been filming their hit drama, Victoria.  The Council’s ambition is to support investment opportunities for film making, production and creative industries, building on the area’s proven entrepreneurial spirit and giving smaller companies a chance to grow by offering affordable space.

And Gascoigne Interchange isn’t the only former mine site now being redeveloped in the area.  Plans are being developed to create significant new business space at the former Kellingley Colliery.  This is set to create around 1.45m square feet of new business space and is expected to deliver a £200m benefit to the regional economy.

Selby District Council Leader, Councillor Mark Crane, explained why the Council has been helping to bring forward these new opportunities: “This is about us – the Council – using our position and influence to help bring in new investment.  This is about creating new jobs and opportunities for people who live here, as well as supporting the new homes we need as the fastest growing area of North Yorkshire.

“We may not have the high profile of areas such as Leeds, but that’s to the advantage of our businesses.  Companies in this area get more for their money compared to our big city neighbours, but still with great transport connections and our quality of life helps to attract and retain the best companies and talent – including some leaders in their field such as Drax Power, L&G Modular Homes and Lambert Engineering.”

The developer of the Sherburn2 site, Jeremy Nolan, explained what a difference this level of support makes, “I’d like to thank Selby District Council for its tremendous support over the years for Sherburn2.  Their backing has enabled this project to get off the ground and we’re determined to make the Council proud of what we achieve here.”