New employment development plans lodged for former power station
Revised plans have been submitted for development on a former power station (Image credit: Pixabay)
About 1.64 million sq ft of employment space could be built on the site of a former power station in West Yorkshire if newly submitted plans get the go-ahead.
Mountpark Logistics has submitted an application to Wakefield Council for the proposed development on the former Coal Yard of the Ferrybridge C Power Station.
The hybrid application seeks full planning permission for site infrastructure works including alterations to existing rail infrastructure, construction of an estate access road, highways improvements.
Outline permission is sought for 1.64 million sq ft of development, suitable for storage and distribution uses (B8 use class) or general industrial (B2 use class).
It has been estimated that the development could support the creation of between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs.
A full planning application was submitted earlier this year for development on the site. However, the applicant is now seeking a change to the overall change to the type of planning permission, with details of the proposed units reserved for future applications.
A statement submitted as part of the application said the change had been made "in response to changes in the market context since the application was submitted and has also been informed by discussions with potential occupiers regarding their unit-specific requirements".
It added: "The former coal yard is in a highly sustainable location with excellent transport links, lending itself well to logistics and industrial development. The scheme will also retain the potential for the site to be served by rail and wharf freight, should this be required by future occupiers.
"The development continues to represent a significant new capital investment in Wakefield district, providing significant local employment opportunities (between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs) which will help to alleviate existing unemployment and deprivation levels in the area.
"There are also anticipated associated beneficial economics effects including approximately £130m of additional GVA per annum, experienced at local, district, and regional levels."
The project team include Oxalis Planning and SMR Architects.
Construction of Ferrybridge C in Knottingley started in 1962 and it began supplying energy to the National Grid in 1966. It comprised four coal-fired boiler units, each with a generating capacity of up to 500 megawatts (MW).
Operator SSE, which took ownership in 2004, ceased generating electricity at the plant in March 2016 and began a programme of decommissioning.
Mountpark Logistics requested a formal EIA Scoping Opinion[1] from Wakefield Council for the proposed development last year.
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