£3m speculative industrial development set for February completion

A 48,000 sq ft multi-occupancy industrial development in West Yorkshire is being built on time and will be ready for occupation in February.

The £3m scheme is an extension to Ash Way at Thorp Arch Estate, near Wetherby, which is owned by London-based Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust.

Known as Ash Way III, the development has seen the transformation of a former wartime munitions factory into a modern business location close to the motorway network.

The scheme comprises five light industrial units, including one of 15,000 sq ft, pre-let to wholesale confectionery business, Bon Bon’s, founded by general manager, Mark Rowntree, great grandson of confectionery entrepreneur and social reformer, Joseph Rowntree.

The remaining speculative units, all available to lease through estate manager Wharfedale Property Management, are two units of 6,000 sq ft, one of 9,000 sq ft and one of 12,000 sq ft.

The new units are being fitted out to a high specification with seven-metre-eave warehouses, up-and-over loading doors, air conditioned offices, LED lighting throughout, concrete loading yards and fibre connections for superfast broadband.

The scheme replaces two former derelict Royal Ordnance munitions magazines, Units 501 and 505, which were demolished after standing empty for more than 40 years.

Construction of the latest scheme is being managed by York-based property and construction consultants, the LHL Group, and built by Lindum Group Ltd, which also has an office in Elvington, near York.

Tim Munns, Wharfedale Property Management director, said: “In spite of uncertainty over Brexit, we face a very strong demand for units. Thorp Arch Estate has more tenants today than at anytime in its 60-year-history.

“In this case, the pre-let to Bon Bon’s created the opportunity to develop this wider speculative scheme as part of a continuing programme of new build and refurbishment to support the region’s business community.

“Our previous extension to Ash Way, which completed in Aug 2016, was close to 100% let when building work completed and we are hopeful of repeating this with our latest scheme.” 

The Leeds offices of property consultants JLL and Carter Towler are agents for the scheme.

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