A company has unveiled plans to transform a former water treatment plant into a business park which could generate 1,000 new jobs in the region.
Keyland Developments Ltd plan to create around 500,000 sq ft of employment space after securing the former North Bierley Waste Water Treatment Works and and will be submitting a planning application to transform it into a Business Park in the near future .
The Business Park plans show that up to 1,000 jobs could be created in West Yorkshire.
But local residents are concerned that the proposed Business Park may turn the surrounding area into little more than a motorway slip road.
Dave Stevens, from Oakenshaw, understood the company’s reasons for wanting to build the Business Park, but was afraid about the effects might it might have on the local community.
“I can see that it’s an attractive site, but I’d be saddened by the loss of green space and the loss of green belt land.
“It isn’t proposed that it will have direct access onto the motorway, all the lorries would come onto Cliff Hollins Lane, right in front of Woodlands Primary School and through the central village.
“We have wanted to get the traffic away from there and bring back the village centre and this plan would make it a motorway slip road.”
But Mike Dove, Partner at Dove Haigh Phillips, consultant to Keyland believes the Business Park will draw more investment to the region and will unburden nearby Business parks in Kirklees and Bradford that are operating at full capacity.
He said: “This site has such multi-level appeal due to the proposed combination of unit sizes.
“It is welcome news not only for the broader market where supply is so restricted but also for more local and regional businesses that have been successfully operating from nearby business parks and wish to expand.
“With such a strong location on the M62 corridor, this scheme will inevitably draw in regional investment which is extremely positive news.”