Iceland to join £17m prison transformation scheme

Frozen grocery retailer Iceland has become the latest retailer to sign up for the Treadmills regeneration in North Yorkshire.

Based in Northallerton, the £17m scheme will transform five Grade II listed former prison buildings into a mixed-use complex.

The grocery store operator will take a retail unit comprised of 6,000 sq ft on the ground floor and 2,300 sq ft on a mezzanine level.

Delivered by the Central Northallerton Development Company (CNDC), a joint venture between Hambleton District Council and Yorkshire property developer Wykeland Group, the development will create 180 jobs during the construction phase and 250 jobs within the scheme itself once opened.

Jonathan Stubbs, development director of Wykeland and CNDC board member, said: “We’re delighted to have secured Iceland as the latest leading brand to join Treadmills. This is another major boost for the development and paves the way for construction work to begin.”

As well as retail and leisure units such as a four-screen cinema, the development will house residential properties and offices, including flexible space for tech companies and professionals managed by Hull-based Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI).

Jonathan continued: “We’re also fielding strong interest in other opportunities, including four restaurant units around the civic square that will form the centrepiece of the scheme.

“We will go out to tender in the next few weeks to identify a contractor to deliver the first phase of the development, with work due to begin on site this summer.”