Scarborough submits planning for £400 million Thorpe Park development in Leeds1st October 2012

Scarborough Development Group (SDG), the property development division of Scarborough Group International, has submitted an outline planning application to Leeds City Council for a mixed use development at Thorpe Park, on the M1 in east Leeds.

The new planning application seeks to build on Thorpe Park’s existing 1.8 million sq ft business park consent, introducing additional space for retail and leisure amenities demanded by modern occupiers.

An application has also been submitted for the Manston Lane Link Road (MLLR), which will link existing communities in east Leeds and the Manston Lane industrial area to Thorpe Park’s junction with the M1 (Junction 46). This road will relieve traffic congestion in the area and provide an improved route for public transport.

To date, a little under 600,000 sq ft of business space has been built at Thorpe Park, and the new planning application adds up to 1.2 million sq ft of high-quality office space; a 130,000 sq ft food store; up to 177,000 sq ft of leisure space including a hotel and sports facilities; 33,000 sq ft of cafes, bars and restaurants; and 100,000 sq ft of additional retail. The end value of the additional uses is expected to be in excess of £400 million

Also included in the proposal is 35 acres of parkland and green space, which will run through the scheme linking with Green Park, the new 113 acre public park to the west which is being brought forward in conjunction with Leeds Council.

The proposed development will create a further 10,500 gross permanent jobs including 6,500 local employment opportunities for the Leeds City region.

Mark Jackson, Managing Director of SDG, said: “This scheme is looking to set a new benchmark in business parks for modern occupiers and their staff. Whilst Thorpe Park already has an enviable location, we intend to add to this an exceptional working environment, with all amenities to hand.

We are pleased that we are also able to bring forward in our application the Manston Lane Link Road, an important piece of transport infrastructure that will not only enhance Thorpe Park’s accessibility, but which can have a transformative affect on the east Leeds area.

We are grateful for the extensive pre-application consultation that Leeds City Council have provided, and our gratitude is also due to the local community who turned out in great numbers to the public exhibitions held before the summer. Local people voiced their opinions and we are confident that as well as offering a development that will meet the changing needs of business occupiers it will also provide a valuable hub for local communities in east Leeds.”

The proposals received widespread support from the majority of visitors to the exhibitions in the locality with around 72% of those who returned feedback being broadly or fully supportive of the revised proposals.

Thorpe Park is an important business park for both Leeds and the North of England, located just six miles east of Leeds City Centre with its own dedicated access off junction 46 of the M1. Among the 60 occupiers of the existing office space are IBM, National Grid, GE Capital, Vinci, BAM and United Utilities.