Planned employment development could support 2,000 jobs
A 38-acre strategic site near Harrogate has been acquired to deliver a major employment scheme – “Harrogate 47”.
The land has been bought by Opus North and Bridges Fund Management (Bridges) who say it could potentially support 2,000 jobs.
The site, located south-west of J47 of the A1M in North Yorkshire, has been allocated as the main strategic employment site in Harrogate Borough Council’s newly adopted Local Plan, due to its excellent access to the transport network.
It benefits from an existing planning permission for over half a million square feet of development for employment uses.
Opus North and Bridges will now progress a revised masterplan for Harrogate 47 that maximises the job-creating potential of the site, working with Harrogate Borough Council and other stakeholders.
Opus North is instructing a consultancy team to prepare a new outline planning application that will be submitted for consideration later in the year.
CBRE acted for Opus North and Bridges, while Gent Visick represented the vendor, a private individual.
Ryan Unsworth, development director of Opus North, said: “This is a site with clear potential to make a significant contribution to the local economy through job creation and also through the delivery of high-quality office and logistics accommodation to meet existing and future market demand.
“With our joint venture partner, we are in a position to bring this development to life and are looking forward to continuing our discussions with both the council and local stakeholders to create an exemplar development to address the local and regional shortages of employment space.”
Guy Bowden, Partner at Bridges Fund Management, said: “We believe this important site in Harrogate can play a key role in meeting industrial demand and supporting the growth of the local economy.
“We are excited by the opportunity to create a highly sustainable development that will minimise environmental impact while maximising wellbeing and cost savings for future tenants.”
