Harworth Estates will begin work today on a development of high-quality, flexible industrial units, called R-evolution @ Gateway 36, on the site of the former Rockingham mining site, south of Barnsley.
The Gateway 36 development is located on 15 acres of land, strategically located by junction 36 of the M1, off the Dearne Valley Parkway, and is designed to meet the region’s rising demand for new industrial units.
Harworth is working in partnership with Barnsley Council, which granted planning consent for the development on 17 March. The first phase will comprise the construction of the initial site infrastructure and the first three units, totalling 65,000 sq ft, which are available for lease and expected to be completed by the end of 2015. A number of additional serviced plots, offering a total of 111,000 sq ft, will be available for roadside and industrial use on a design-and-build basis.
The development has been directly supported by the council’s Property Investment Fund, which is one of the flagship initiatives identified in the Barnsley Jobs and Business Plan that launched in 2014. The plan sets out a commercially-focused blueprint for creating more jobs, an increased & stronger business base and an improved workforce along with an aspiration to create more jobs and more businesses in the borough.
R-evolution @ Gateway 36, will, in total, create more than 450 new jobs in addition to having the potential to add £20m in Gross Value Added to the local economy. All occupiers will have access to comprehensive business support through the council’s experienced investment team, including free guidance on access to finance, recruitment and training, as well as the potential to receive business growth coaching from the nationally-recognised Enterprising Barnsley programme.
Campbell Carruth, Director of Business Space at Harworth Estates, said: “We are delighted that we are bringing forward a high-quality scheme with Barnsley Council’s support. There is a significant lack of new units of less than 50,000 sq ft in Yorkshire and R-evolution @ Gateway 36 addresses this need”.
James Newman, Chairman of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This scheme epitomises public-private collaboration in our City Region. I am pleased to see that local business is responding to market demand by bringing forward vital development”.
Funding for infrastructure works and the construction of the first three units has come from a £4.8 million loan from the Sheffield City Region Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (JESSICA) Fund.
The SCR JESSICA Fund, which is made up of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Growing Places capital, aims to provide funding for projects at competitive commercial rates where funding might otherwise prove challenging in the current markets. The Fund will commit capital to regeneration opportunities with a focus on office and industrial developments which meet the ERDF’s targets on employment, remediation and floorspace outputs. The Fund is managed by CBRE Capital Advisors.
You can find more on the scheme here.