Property firm snaps up development site from Mamas & Papas

NURSERY brand Mamas & Papas has sold a development site in Huddersfield.

Yorkshire property company Frank Marshall Estates has snapped up the 2.73 acre site next to the headquarters of Mamas & Papas in Colne Bridge Road.

Mark Hanson of Huddersfield-based Hanson Chartered Surveyors, who advised Mamas & Papas on the sale, said that there had been “considerable interest” in the land before Frank Marshall Estates concluded the deal.

The sale followed the financial restructuring of Mamas & Papas after the company went through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) in 2014.

Frank Marshall Estates is run by Edward and Jimmy Marshall and has significant commercial assets in Yorkshire.

Edward Marshall said: “This is an extremely important purchase for us. We are renaming the site Colne Bridge Business Park and will be submitting a planning application to Kirklees Council shortly for a high-quality employment park, which should create up to 100 jobs.

“There is a distinct lack of high-quality and flexible industrial units in the Huddersfield area, so we are hoping to satisfy the pent-up demand from small-to-medium-sized businesses, who are looking for attractive, practical and modern premises, combining warehousing and distribution space, with hi-tech office facilities.

“The exact size of the units will be determined by the needs of potential occupiers, which will be crucial as we develop out our business park. Units will range from 5,000 sq ft to 40,000 sq ft and may be developed speculatively or on a design-and-build basis. All options are open.”

Jimmy Marshall added: “Although Frank Marshall Estates has extensive interests in West Yorkshire, this is our first major development in Huddersfield, one of the county’s foremost towns with a splendid industrial history. We are proud to be contributing to the area’s economy, by building bespoke business/industrial units and creating jobs. We are committed to the town.”

Mark Hanson, who will be marketing the site for Frank Marshall Estates, said: “Considerable interest has already been expressed by a number of prospective tenants for the site and we are looking forward in engaging with them once all alternatives for the site have been considered.”