Bradford confirms Yorkshire Water Esholt plans
Close to 180 acres of brownfield land around the village’s wastewater treatment works will be developed into 1m sq ft of employment space and 150 homes, alongside Keyland Developments.
Plans for the scheme were first submitted by Keyland in 2019, and were approved in 2021, with Bradford City Council’s previous chief executive, Kersten England, citing it as the “largest development proposal in the district.”
The employment element will focus on bio-tech businesses and industries that can make the most of heat, power, and water generated by the treatment works to maximise sustainability.
The sustainable housing element includes a mix ranging from one-bedroom maisonettes to five-bedroom detached houses, as well as public recreation spaces that will also be accessible to residents of nearby Esholt Village.
Yorkshire Water will now seek a development partner for the commercial element, as well as a purchaser for the residential.
The project team includes Tate & Co and natural environments and sustainability consultants 3 ADAPT.
The good news comes at a turbulent time for Yorkshire Water, which has been found responsible for 260 pollution incidents over the last year, and is being downgraded to a one-star rating for its environmental performance. As a result of this and other failed targets, the firm has been fined £88.8m by Ofwat.
Luke Axe, land and planning director at Keyland, said; “To have full planning consent for Esholt enables us to move to the next phase of the delivery process which is to seek like minded partners to bring the development to life.
“We have an incredible opportunity to create one of the UK’s most impressive and aspirational mixed-use communities and are looking forward to engaging with agents to activate the process.”
