Leeds City Region’s largest advanced manufacturing and logistics base set for new development

Aire Valley Land LLP, the joint venture partnership of Evans Property Group and Harworth Group plc, is set to speculatively develop a 150,000 sq ft industrial accommodation scheme at Gateway 45 Leeds.

Gateway 45 Leeds is Leeds City Region’s largest advanced manufacturing and logistics base previously known as Temple Green.

With planning permission already in place for around 2.64m sq ft of developed space, the joint venture team has decided to press ahead with speculatively developing two units of 100,000 sq ft and 50,000 sq ft.

A planning application will be submitted to Leeds City Council to secure reserved matters consent for both units, with construction planned to begin in early 2017.

Practical completion of both units should take place within seven months of commencement.

At the same point, the scheme has also been rebranded and relaunched as Gateway 45 Leeds to reflect the 165 acre site’s strategic position at Junction 45 of the M1.

As part of the rebranding process, Gateway 45 Leeds is now being marketed as four zones of North, South, East and West alongside roadside uses, with Evans and Harworth working closely with the agency team of CBRE, Dove Haigh Phillips and Gent Visick.

These developments follow the completion of the £7m first phase of a total £9.1m infrastructure and groundworks investment programme.

The programme has created 1.2 km of new dual carriageway, the remediation of 20 acres of land aimed at roadside dealerships and a petrol station in addition to Leeds City Council’™s 1000 space Park and Ride transport hub, and enabling direct access to the scheme’s largest development plot that can accommodate a single unit of 515,000 sq. ft.

James Pitt, development director of Evans Property Group, said: “The momentum has really gathered in the last six months with the JV partnership with Harworth and our expanded agency team.

“We are in an extremely strong position to maximise the potential of this outstanding development and our commitment to speculatively developing these units and the effort put into rebranding the scheme to justify its position as one of the North of England’™s most important developments is just the beginning of our success story.”

Ian Ball, executive director for income generation at Harworth Group, added: “The manufacturing and logistics sectors are in urgent need of new units in strategic locations and Gateway 45 Leeds is in a prime position to capitalise upon that.

“By bringing forward two units with all the associated benefits of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone, we are meeting the widely reported shortage of industrial space in the region head-on and showing an appetite for delivery which the scheme can build upon.”

Gateway 45 Leeds sits within the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone an employment zone supported by Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Leeds City Council and the Department of Communities and Local Government that offers occupiers a range of incentives, including Business Rate Relief, to support their move into the region.