Wykeland secures £80m facility for Melton West business park

Leading Yorkshire commercial property developer Wykeland Group has secured an £80m-plus investment by global medical technology business Smith+Nephew.

Subject to planning approval, Smith+Nephew has announced it will build a new research and development and manufacturing facility for its Advanced Wound Management franchise at Wykeland’s Melton West business park in East Yorkshire.

The investment will create a world-class R&D, manufacturing and flexible office environment, which is expected to support more than £8bn of sales in its first 10 years of operation.

Melton West business park has been selected for the investment because of its proximity to the existing Hull facility. It also offers a site with the size and established infrastructure to accommodate the new facility and is allocated under the East Riding of Yorkshire Local Plan for developments of this kind.

Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Hull-based Wykeland, owner and developer of Melton West, said, “we are delighted the strategic, long-term investments we have made in the infrastructure at Melton West business park have enabled Smith+Nephew to stay within the region and make such a huge investment in a state-of-the-art new facility.”

Simon Fraser, President of Advanced Wound Management for Smith+Nephew, said, “this major investment demonstrates our commitment to the UK and to building our leadership in Advanced Wound Management.”

The 200-acre Melton West business park is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s premier locations for investment and job creation. It enjoys a prime location west of Hull, off the A63 and connecting to the national motorway network within minutes via the M62.

The Smith+Nephew facility will be the latest major development at the growing site, which features more than one million sq ft of completed warehouse, distribution, manufacturing and office space.

In December last year Wykeland secured planning permission from East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a £170m retail logistics fulfilment centre at Melton West. This centre will have a footprint of 558,000 sq ft and create 1,300-1,500 permanent jobs, additional seasonal and indirect employment, and further jobs during the construction phase.