Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have secured outline planning permission from Wakefield Council for the 500,000 sq ft + City Fields employment scheme in West Yorkshire.
Opus North and Bridges acquired the 31-acre site for an undisclosed sum in July 2022 from Keyland Developments.
The development partners have received planning approval for Class B2, B8 and E(g) urban logistics space as well as industrial accommodation in a wide range of different unit sizes. There is also the potential for trade counter schemes and associated pub/restaurant/drive-thru options.
Subject to approval of a reserved matters application for the site-enabling works, which Opus North and Bridges intend to submit shortly, works are scheduled to begin in early 2024 with the first phase of construction focused on a drive-thru plot, followed by circa 80,000 sq ft of industrial buildings.
Ryan Unsworth, joint managing director of Opus North, said: “We are delighted that our plans for the City Fields site have been granted approval. The half a million square feet of employment space will be the key commercial element of the regeneration plans for the wider City Fields site which, at a total of 373 acres, will make a significant contribution to the area’s economic prospects. A regeneration scheme of this scale is something we are hugely invested in and its delivery will make great strides in growing the northern commercial sector.”
Guy Bowden, partner at Bridges Fund Management, added: “City Fields is one of the most exciting development opportunities in the region. We’re looking forward to transforming this site into a highly sustainable commercial and industrial hub, with a range of ‘build to suit’ units of different sizes. This will help to address the clear regional shortage of high-quality space, while also enabling occupiers to achieve their own ESG goals and supporting the transition to net zero.”
Carter Towler, Knight Frank and Avison Young are joint agents for City Fields.
