Pub faces demolition in business park plan
A COMPANY bidding to flatten a famous pub and replace it with a small business park, has launched a public consultation.
The Nano Park Company has targeted the site of the iconic Wappy Spring Inn at Lindley Moor for one of its ‘contemporary work spaces.’
The firm says the industrial park will be for small businesses and offers a site for companies that need a fusion of both office and warehouse space.
It has already set up a similar scheme in Bradford with others in the pipeline for Leeds, Skipton and Wakefield.
It appears the plan would include the demolition of the Wappy Springs premises off the A629 New Hey Road.
In January, The Examiner reported that landlords Trevor Simpkins and Austin Wylie who bought the freehold to the pub in 2012 were looking to sell the pub and surrounding land.
Now local residents have been sent leaflets about the plans for the Nano Park and a new website has been set up to take feedback.
The Nano Park Company says an application to Kirklees Council has been submitted.
A plan on its website indicates the plan would feature 13 units and parking. The firm claims Kirklees’ unemployment rate is at its highest since 1987 following the pandemic and the
Nano Park will aid the recovery, bringing an £8m injection of investment and more than 100 jobs.
It says: “The vision for the site is to create modern and flexible business space that is currently lacking in the area.
“The provision of space suitable for start-up businesses is extremely limited, and also generally very poor quality. There is no comparable property offer in the district.
“This sector comprises nearly 90% of Kirklees’ businesses and over 20% of the jobs in the district, but there are no modern buildings to meet its needs.
“Without addressing this lack of provision, Kirklees risks not being able to accommodate the needs of the sector which offers it the best opportunity to recover from the effects of worst recession for 300 years.
“This development will help to address part of that need.
“A mixture of high quality and natural materials will be used in a design that is sympathetic to the landscape and surrounding.
“The units will be energy efficient, meeting or exceeding industry standards, and will source materials and conserve resources as much as reasonably possible.
“Open green spaces, with dry wildlife basins will connect through the site and deliver a landscaped masterplan for the whole site which delivers biodiversity net gain and enhances wildlife interest on the site.”
Edward Marshall, a director of the Nano Park Company commented: “These plans will offer something truly different and much-needed in the area, which will allow local business to grow and thrive.
“There is a severe shortage of good quality space for new small businesses, and without more development of this type, we really think the local economy will struggle to recover from the devastating economic effects of the pandemic.
“In these uncertain economic times, we need to support the most active sectors of the local economy and this development will herald a major investment and bring new jobs to the area, through the redevelopment of the largely brownfield site, which is next to other major commercial developments.”