£3.5m speculative unit brought forward

A new property development in Keighley plans to move forward following resolution of the Brexit impasse.

Turner Developments has given the green light to a 40,000 square foot speculative build on a former council-owned site at Dalton Lane. The building will overlook the historic Dalton Mills and be ready for occupation by July 2020.

James Turner of Ilkley-based Turner Developments said that clarity over Brexit following the general election had given the business community greater confidence.

“We’ve had planning permission for the site since the Spring of 2019 but we felt we had to hold back because of political uncertainty and the log-jam over Europe. Now that we are in a more favourable business climate and we know the direction of travel, we feel able to press ahead,” he said.

Turner Developments has been active in Keighley for more than a decade. In 2014, the company developed Aireside Business Park, a 260,000 square foot project, for seven occupiers and in 2017 it completed a 370,000 square foot development at Riverside Business Park for five occupiers.

Mr Turner added: “There is a lot of business activity in the area. We’re happy to press ahead with a speculative build because we feel we have a good understanding of the local market.”

The new build is going ahead on the site of a Victorian-era building which was formerly part of Keighley College and demolished five years ago.

“The building is categorised as light industrial or warehousing. It is aimed at the sector of the market which we think is most in demand in the Aire Valley but we remain open minded about whether to let or sell the property,” added Mr Turner.

“We have planned the space in a flexible way and it is of a size where it will divide if needs be,” he said.

Once complete, the development will carry the name Foundry Park, a nod to one of Mr Turner’s descendants. He stated: “Back in the mid 1850’s, my great, great grandfather, Edwin Turner, operated the Eagle Ironworks foundry nearby. I thought that, in naming this building Foundry Park, it was a way to give a little nod to one of my ancestors and to recognise that this was once a thriving centre of employment. Hopefully it will be again.”