Partnerships Proving A Winning Formula - Yorkshire Post
Robert Beaumont examines how private developers are working in partnership with the public sector to regenerate run-down areas of Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Forward's pioneering Development Partnerships Programme, in which the county's regional development agency works closely with private developers, is going from strength to strength.
Private sector partners are developing huge swathes of mainly industrial land, owned by Yorkshire Forward, in Yorkshire and Humber on sites at Goole, Grimsby, Sherburn and Bridlington.
This innovative framework has proved to be popular with the property development sector. Each of the developers made firm commitments to the delivery of specific developments over a specific period of time. Thus far these commitments have been met.
One graphic example of this success story is the Capitol Park development at Goole, where the leading Leeds-based property company Sterling Capitol was selected by Yorkshire Forward to develop a 310-acre site by junction 36 of the M62.
The supermarket giant Tesco, for example, has just moved into a 850,000 sq ft distribution depot, which will create more than 1,000 quality and sustainable jobs in the Goole area.
Simon Clarke, development director of Sterling Capitol, said: "The building of this distribution depot, which is now ready for business, is a major and exciting step forward for this development. This is excellent news for the economy of Goole and the Humber area.
"The 1,000 jobs at Tesco's distribution warehouse will range from managerial to IT, logistics and maintenance. These are quality jobs, which will provide sustainable employment for people in the area. The positive effect will be seen on the high street, where more money will be spent. This is a win-win situation for Goole and the surrounding area," he added.
This £237.5 million development on the outskirts of Goole has already received support from senior Conservative and Labour politicians on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Overall it is set to create more than 5,000 jobs.
Capitol Park will be a high-profile, mixed-use business park, with manufacturing, distribution, offices and leisure facilities, including a hotel and restaurant. The site has already attracted Guardian Industries Corp, one of the world’s largest glass manufacturers, who have invested £115 million in a new manufacturing base there.
The agents are the Leeds offices of Knight Frank and DTZ, together with Leeds industrial agents Gent Visick.
Simon Clarke commented: "We are very supportive of the concept of the Development Partnerships Programme and believe it is an excellent example of the private and the public sectors working together. Yorkshire Forward has given us the chance to deliver investment and jobs and we are focussing all our efforts on achieving this. We are confident we are creating a development that will make the region proud," he added.
A spokesman for Yorkshire Forward said: "The overall response to the Development Partnerships Programme has been exceptional, and has enabled Yorkshire Forward to let the private sector take an active role in the region’s future economic development."
Owen Holder of property consultants Knight Frank in Leeds commented: "Capitol Park is unrivalled within the region for its communication capabilities. It is strategically positioned at the head of the Humber Estuary providing port access and there is a direct rail link between the port and the site.
Meanwhile the Hull-based Wykeland Properties are responsible for re-invigorating development activity on the popular Europarc site at Grimsby. Director Dominic Gibbons commented: "We are convinced that the principle of Development Partnerships has accelerated development of Europarc and enabled us to focus our efforts on delivering investments and jobs."
The mixed-use business park is being imaginatively developed by the Hull-based Wykeland Properties in conjunction with regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.
Already more than 2,000 jobs have been created on the £70 million 110-acre Europarc, which is a base for several blue chip companies, fledgling businesses and prospering firms. Crucially, it has also underlined Grimsby's pre-eminence in the food sector in the north of England.
Dominic Gibbons commented: "The development is the next step in a sequential model of business growth on Europarc. A company can now grow from the Innovation Centre up to Pegasus Square and now has the versatility of Peryton as the next step before advancing to a bespoke detached building on Europarc.
Meanwhile, following the successful letting of Origin 1 and 2, the third phase of Genesis Office Park has recently been completed and has already generated a lot of interest. Origin 3 looks identical to the first two buildings but on closer inspection the building’s enhanced environmental performance measures would become apparent.
A new detached 30,000 sq ft building, speculatively developed by Wykeland using Grimsby-based Rok Topcon, is now ready. The high quality design and appearance has appealed to a number of operators and the building is now in the hands of solicitors with occupation targeted for later this year. The appeal of the building has led to discussions with further companies who have expressed interest in bespoke buildings on the park.
The Humber Seafood Institute, the pioneering joint venture between the European Regional Development Fund, North East Lincolnshire Council and Yorkshire Forward, is being developed by Wykeland and is scheduled for completion in Spring next year.
Dominic Gibbons commented: "Overall this has been an excellent year at Europarc, with a tremendous amount of progress. During the summer we received some solid inquiries and we are confident these will result in further development on site".
Owen Holder, of property consultants Knight Frank in Leeds, commented: "This is a gem of a development and is, without doubt, one of the finest business parks in the region. It is the fastest-moving scheme in the Humber and is an excellent example of partnership working".
For further information, please contact Robert Beaumont of Robert Beaumont Associates on 01423 323139
20/12/2007
