Masterplan for Humber commercial park promises 5,000 jobs
A Humber commercial park masterplan which could deliver up to 5,000 jobs has been launched by the Wykeland Group.
The prolific East Yorkshire development group is expanding the Melton West business park, following its acquisition of the Melton Park site next door. It bought the site in December 2018, as the company’s largest-ever land purchase. The expansion will add 200 acres to the existing site.
Wykeland says it will provide up to 2.85 million sq ft of manufacturing, logistics and office space on the new site, including the potential for a 1 million sq ft ‘mega shed’.
The existing Melton West site has 750,000 sq ft of completed development, and employs 1,100 people. Heron Foods, generator manufacturer Allam Marine and shower maker Kohler Mira are all existing tenants on the sire.
Infrastructure works have also just begun at Melton West for a £10m, next-generation Lister Group Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Melton West offers easy access via the M62 to the national motorway network, and is also close to the Humber ports.The business park also has Enterprise Zone Status, meaning investors will see discounted business rates.
Wykeland managing director Dominic Gibbons said: “Melton West is a successful, well established and well recognised development, so we have decided to build on the brand in launching the expanded business park.
“We know there is significant pent-up demand for the opportunities offered by Melton West as there has been no new, substantial development of this type and size in the Humber area in recent years.
“There are only a handful of sites on this scale available in the North of England and a shortage of facilities such as this across the M62 corridor.
“The location and development opportunities are ideal for modern warehousing and distribution requirements and we have already received a number of enquiries.”
“We’ve created a masterplan, which details the development opportunities across the extended site, and we’ve taken that to market.
“As with all our developments, we will work with occupiers to design and develop facilities to meet their exact business needs.”
The company has appointed Hull-based Garness Jones and CBRE as joint agents for Melton West.
Mike Baugh, senior director at CBRE’s Leeds office, said: “Melton West offers one of the most significant opportunities in the region and arguably the most exciting new employment site in East Yorkshire.
“We anticipate strong interest in the site, which can offer a full range of unit sizes and is one of very few sites in the region which could accommodate a single unit of 1m sq ft.”
Wykeland has a development pipeline of almost £400m within the region, and has already completed major projects including the Bridgehead business park close to the Humber Bridge and the @TheDock tech campus in Hull’s Fruit Market waterfront quarter.
The developer has also formed a joint venture with Hambleton District Council to create the £17m Treadmills retail, leisure and business site at the site of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire.
