Scheme at junction to bring ‘100 new jobs’
THERE are plans to extend a £30m industrial estate next to the Chain Bar junction of the M606 and M62 motorways near Cleckheaton.
The warehouse site, known as Interchange 26, was green-lit in September 2020 by members of Kirklees Council’s strategic planning committee.
Approval was granted despite concerns about access into the 57-acre site, which was previously the Yorkshire Water North Bierley waste water treatment works.
The second phase of the scheme – for logistics warehouses – is now being developed, with a planning application set to be submitted to Kirklees Council following a period of public consultation.
That second phase has been made possible following a decision by National Highways – formerly Highways England – not to proceed with a multi-million pound scheme to alleviate heavy traffic at Chain Bar by creating a direct link from the M62 westbound to the M606 northbound.
The project was ‘paused’ following a review in 2017.
There is no mention of it in Highways England’s 2020-2025 delivery plan.
That change removes a constraint that resulted in the southern portion of the site allocation not being included in the 2018 approved development.
That section of the site, and its potential development, can now be considered on its own merits.
Keyland Developments, which is part of the Kelda Group and a sister company of Yorkshire Water, wants to deliver 11,046sqm of commercial and job-creating space on the North Bierley site.
Matthew Turnbull, planning and development manager at Keyland Developments, said: “We are excited to launch this public consultation and welcome as much feedback as possible at this early stage in the process to help inform the plans. These proposals would deliver more than 100 new jobs for local people.
“It would also provide a major investment in the Kirklees economy at an already operational site.”
THE consultation document can be viewed at northbierleyphase2.co.uk.