Plans submitted for 540,000 sq ft West Yorkshire employment scheme
Following the removal of HS2 safeguarding from the site, Water Lane has applied to Leeds City Council to create a storage and distribution on 42 acres to the east of the city, near Garforth.
The site lies immediately south of the M1, with Parlington Woods to the north, and is currently accessed via an agricultural entrance from Aberford Road.
Water Lane Ltd owns the entire plot of land, having acquired the land in 2016. The company is linked with Leeds-based Wilton Developments, which is acting as development manager for the scheme.
The outline application, designed by KPP Architects and supported by Lichfields, also includes proposals for a drive-thru facility, new access roads, service yards, car parking, landscaping, blue infrastructure, earthworks and associated infrastructure.
According to the Design and Access Statement, the lifting of HS2 safeguarding has enabled the full employment allocation at Wilton to come forward for development for the first time.
The proposed scheme follows the approval of a separate full planning application for the site’s first phase, which will deliver a single 492,500 sq ft industrial unit immediately south of the current application area.
If approved, the latest phase would provide a mix of industrial and logistics accommodation alongside supporting commercial uses, with the developer saying the scheme is intended to create jobs and support the local authority’s economic development objectives.
The development has been designed with sustainability in mind, with the project team proposing to source construction materials locally where possible and use recycled materials where practical.
Wilton Developments’ previous schemes include 83,000 sq ft of speculative industrial space at the Connex 45 development, the first industrial units to be completed within the Leeds Enterprise Zone.
The developer has also delivered a further 86,000 sq ft of industrial floorspace at its nearby Kinetic 45 scheme, as well as two industrial units totalling 78,000 sq ft in Castleford.
