Building Briefs: Dacres Commercial; Opus North; Eddisons; and more
THE former Bridge End Cattle Market in Otley has hit the market with Dacres Commercial and Harvey Burns & Co.
The 3.40 acre site, which is situated just off Billams Hill, has stood empty since the closure of the Cattle Market in 2000.
Dacres’ managing director Jonathan Isles, who is head of land and development, said: “This well-known site played a key role in Wharfedale’s farming heritage for many years and we’re delighted to be involved in finding a buyer to breathe new life into it. All of the buildings have been demolished and the site totally cleared. This is an extremely exciting opportunity for someone with flair and imagination.”
Lyndsay Burns, managing director of Harvey Burns & Co. added: “We are delighted to be acting jointly with Dacres Commercial in the sale of this interesting site which is situated close to the River Wharfe and Otley town centre.”
Set in the Otley Conservation Area, the site is available to purchase freehold with vacant possession. Bridge End Auction Mart operated from the site for 65 years and before its closure Otley was believed to have been the only town in the country to still have two auction marts.
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OPUS North, the northern property developer and investor, is redeveloping the derelict Tudno Castle Hotel in the heart of Llandudno in a joint venture with Mostyn Estates.
Opus North and Mostyn Estates are creating Tudno Point, a flagship retail and leisure scheme in Mostyn Broadway and Vaughan Street, which will feature a new 63-bed hotel, three restaurant units and one retail unit.
The 30,000 sq ft Tudno Point will link the town centre to the successful 160,000 sq ft Parc Llandudno, where tenants include Debenhams, Next and Laura Ashley, and regenerate the heart of the historic Welsh town.
Andrew Duncan, director of the West Yorkshire-based Opus North, said: “The once-proud Tudno Castle Hotel has fallen into disrepair and has not been occupied for several years. The hotel’s listed façade, however, remains extremely impressive and will form an integral part of our development.
“This development will feature a 63-bed Premier Inn, together with three new-build restaurants over two floors under the hotel, and a new-build retail unit fronting Vaughan Street. We have had exceptionally strong interest in the three restaurant units, which range from 3,000 sq ft to 4,500 sq ft.”
“We plan to start work on site this summer and, with a 15-month building programme, the development is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015.
“This is a very important regeneration project for Llandudno and, both during construction and when finished, will provide a massive boost to the local economy,” added Mr Duncan.
The agents for the development are Leeds-based property consultants WSB.
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THE Leeds office of chartered surveyors Eddisons has acquired space on behalf of a client at the Cromwell Office Park in Wetherby.
The firm sourced and negotiated terms on the first floor of Akula House for incoming occupier client Tatham, the Bradford-based manufacturing and electrical engineering company.
The open plan office extends to 1,200 sq ft, and the tenant has agreed a five year lease off an asking rent of £15,561 a year with a two month rent free incentive and a tenant break option in year three.
Steven Jones of Eddisons said: “We have concluded this acquisition within six weeks of receiving the initial instruction.
“In that time we have ascertained that the premises met a strict set of requirements and then negotiated favourable terms on behalf of our client. Cromwell Park is an excellent location with good access to the motorway and provides high quality accommodation.”
Carter Jonas acted for the landlord.
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A MAJOR residential development opportunity close to Harrogate town centre is being offered for sale at an auction in Leeds later this month.
The two adjoining former office buildings on East Parade, off Station Bridge, have planning consent for conversion into nine flats and will go under the hammer at the Eddisons sale at Elland Road on February 20 with a guide price of £600,000.
The lower ground floor of the property is currently let to Yorkshire Cancer Research, producing income of £8,250 a year.
Other lots include a mixed commercial and residential investment on Leeds Road in Ilkley which produces annual income of £15,000. The guide is £200,000 plus.
The site of a former depot on Queens Avenue in Pontefract is among a range of surplus stock being offered on behalf of Wakefield Council. The guide price is £150,000.
Meanwhile a retail unit in the Lidget Green area of Bradford, let to Martin McColl at an annual rent of £21,000 a year,is guided at £280,000 to £300,000.
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A HULL-based interiors specialist has impressed architectural experts with its sympathetic transformation of a historic Grade two listed building into a contemporary office space.
ISIS Commercial Environments, based at Humber Quays, won praise from judges at the Leeds Architecture Awards for the quality of its work at the four-storey Kenneth Hodgson House in the city.
The building was formerly the home of the West Riding Union Bank.
Tasked with bringing the complex into the modern era and making it appeal to city centre businesses, a 15-man team from ISIS ensured all visible historic features were retained during a two-month refurbishment.
ISIS sales manager Amanda Atkinson said: “This project needed careful consideration when planning the refurbishment as the brief was to make the building attractive to city centre clients but also retain the original features.
“As the project went on, we uncovered a number of historical aspects of the building which we brought into our designs, such as the marble floor and the feature tiling on the staircase. In the end, we were delighted to have a completed a development which feels modern but doesn’t lose the connection to its long history.”
The former bank, in Park Row, Leeds, was built circa 1900. It boasts an architectural frieze depicting the Goddess of Commerce – Minerva – on the exterior, flanked on either side by traders from across the world.
The building’s owners Westcourt Properties picked up a commendation in the ‘Best Conserved Building’ category at the awards. Tim Hodgson, of developers Westcourt Group, named the development Kenneth Hodgson House, after his father who started the business in 1992.
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HARROGATE-based planning consultancy Steve Hesmondhalgh & Associates has expanded its team with the appointment of chartered town planner Jonathan Saddington as an associate.
Saddington joins the firm with 15 years’ experience in local government. Working at both Stockton Council and as principal planner at Hambleton District Councils, he has dealt with several high profile projects including the Sowerby Gateway scheme to build a new village on the outskirts of Thirsk, and a controversial five-turbine wind farm at Seamer, near Yarm.
Managing director of the practice, Steve Hesmondhalgh, said: “Jon’s in-depth experience of large-scale housing, retail, commercial and renewable energy planning applications gives him a unique insight into the project management skills that are vital for the success of large development proposals. His local government expertise is second to none and he will be a valuable addition to our team.”
Saddington will be based at the firm’s Harrogate and Darlington offices.
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OUTLET shopping village Hornsea Freeport has revealed positive results for 2013, after seeing strong Christmas trading and an increase in footfall.
Building on the success of 2012, the North Humberside shopping centre saw like-for-like sales for rise by 8.1%, with the run up to Christmas proving to be a particularly successful time.
Quarter four showed that like-for-like sales had increased by 4% on last year’s figures, and that footfall rose by 8.5% during the centre’s busy Christmas launch weekend.
Hornsea said a number of individual stores have been trading “particularly well” throughout the year, with new stores Yorkshire Mobility and The Gift Company, as well as Thorntons, Leading Labels and fashion store, Klass, revealing that sales figures were up.
Following four new store openings in 2012, last year saw Hornsea Freeport welcome five new tenants to the centre: Fresco Gourmet Coffee, Java Teak and Tefal, alongside the Gift Company and Yorkshire Mobility Centre.
In addition, last year saw 12 lease renewals, and following an investment from owners Headrow Commercial Property Services, several stores underwent major refits which brought about significant commercial advantages.
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LATERAL Property Group has secured a new letting in Harrogate, which will create new jobs.
The property – 6 Cambridge Crescent; a Grade II listed Victorian building overlooking the Cenotaph in Harrogate – was acquired from Yorkshire Building Society in 2013 and has been let to Caffè Nero, which will open its second unit in Harrogate in April.
Lateral’s Retail development director, Marcus Briggs, said: “The introduction of Caffè Nero next to Jaeger will create a more active frontage, which will improve the linkage from Cambridge and James Street to Parliament Street where Lateral is undertaking a significant regeneration project.”
