Pre-let success for historic mill restoration
TWO pre-lets have been announced at Park Valley House, the historic 19th century mill office in Huddersfield, which is currently being restored to its former glory.
The 6,000 sq ft heritage building at Park Valley Business Park in Lockwood, which is being converted to high-quality office accommodation, is due for completion in August.
Already two West Yorkshire companies, Momentum Sales Solutions and Holmfirth Dyers, have taken office space in Park Valley House.
Executive business training and development consultancy Momentum has taken 750 sq ft at a rent in the region of £12.50 per sq ft, while Holmfirth Dyers, who own Park Valley Business Park, are moving into a purpose-built 750 sq ft office in the restored building.
Altogether there is more than 4,000 sq ft of quality office space still available to lease within the three-storey Park Valley House, with flexible floorplates ranging from 300 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft for potential occupiers.
Mike Haigh, partner with Leeds property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, said: “Park Valley House offers magnificent character space in an impressive heritage building. It is being refurbished to an exceptional standard, effortlessly mixing modern and historic features, whilst the views over the River Holme and Park Valley are gorgeous.
“More specifically, it boasts fantastic lighting, on-site parking and meeting room facilities, which all create a fantastic and dynamic office environment. Altogether £600,000 has been spent on this very sensitive and comprehensive restoration and it shows,” said Mr Haigh.
Meanwhile the remainder of the 13-acre Park Valley Business Park is being transformed, featuring 18 brand-new industrial units with office and storage space, by Holmfirth Dyers.
Park Valley Business Park had previously been derelict for many years, with buildings falling into disrepair. Now the revamped site off Meltham Road in Lockwood has created more than 70 new jobs and is regenerating the area.
The final units in Phase One have just been leased to expanding Kirklees firm Distinct Disposables. Founded in 1987, the family-owned company is a one-stop-cleaning shop, distributing cleaning and janitorial products to West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Manchester.
Distinct Disposables has taken of 5,560 sq ft quality business space at a base rent of £5.85 and moved into its new headquarters at Park Valley Business Park last month.
Holmfirth Dyers managing director Martin Duckett explained that work on Phase Two, which features 9,250 sq ft of quality industrial space, divided into units as required, has now been completed. Discussions are now with lawyers for two occupiers to take more than 6,200 sq ft.
He said: “There is a distinct lack of high-quality units in Huddersfield, so we have not been surprised by the demand for our attractive and practical modern units, which start from 2,200 sq ft and can be adapted to suit tenants’ requirements”.
Mr Haigh added: “This is a superb development for Huddersfield, which is already creating jobs and regenerating the area.
“Holmfirth Dyers must be congratulated on building speculatively in a challenging commercial property market. The company has tremendous faith in the Huddersfield area and is delighted to welcome new occupiers to this site, which has a proud history and a great future. “
The site already houses a state-of-the-art dyehouse – the first of its kind to be built in the UK for 20 years. The dyehouse, which is capable of handling 50 tonnes of material a week, has created five jobs with more expected as production increases.
