Former wartime munitions units undergo £600k refurbishment

Construction work is now underway on a speculative refurbishment of two empty buildings, which were once part of a wartime munitions factory at Thorp Arch Estate near Wetherby.

The development will create six new high specification small business units.

Estate owners, Rockspring Hanover Property Unit, London, has given the go ahead for the refurbishment of units 710 and 715, which haven’t been occupied for five years and ten years respectively.

Costing around £600k, the refurbishment is due to be completed in July and will create industrial units ranging from 1,159 sq ft to 2,539 sq ft.

Rockspring decided to undertake the speculative scheme after the success of renovating units 713 and 726 which were fully occupied within weeks of completion last autumn (2014).

Each of the new industrial units will have fully-clad insulated walls and roofs with skylights.

In addition, there will also be new offices, beverage facilities and disabled WCs. New electric installations, incorporating LED lighting, will also be fitted and each unit will have a roller shutter door.

Tenants will also be able to access Thorp Arch Estate’s super-fast broadband system.

The two-million sq ft Thorp Arch Estate caters for a range of more than 140 businesses, from startups to large Plcs, operating in local, national and international markets and employing more than 1,800 people.

Thorp Arch Retail Park, which forms part of the estate, was the first out-of-town shopping centre in the country when it opened in 1959 and is complemented by a variety of leisure facilities.

Tim Munns, director of Wharfedale Property Management Ltd, which manages the estate, said: “Small businesses are crucial to the UK’s economic growth and stability but they need modern, efficient premises to thrive. We’re pleased to be refurbishing these buildings, as part of the modernisation of the estate, for small enterprises in this part of the region.”

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