Approval recommended for planned industrial and logistics park at former mine

Planning officers have recommended approval for a proposed industrial and logistics park on the site of a derelict coal mine in North Yorkshire.

Property group Harworth wants to develop this at the 185-acre site of the Gascoigne Wood Colliery site, near Selby, which has been disused since UK Coal mothballed it in 2004.

A North Yorkshire Council planning committee is due to have its final say on the proposals at a meeting on 11 June.

Harworth intends to demolish existing colliery buildings and develop up to 1,460,000 sq ft of employment floorspace, with the massive project taking 10 years to complete.

A detailed statement accompanying its planning application explains: The Gascoigne Wood Development Site is a significant asset within Selby District, given its unique rail connectivity, and represents employment opportunities of regional significance.

“The proposed development will make a significant contribution to the council’s future employment needs and serve the needs of the wider region.

“The varied nature of the site provides the opportunity for units of varied use and size.

“The proposed site-wide strategy offers 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation for business and employment uses, as well as supporting container handling and storage areas and associated track side facilities.”