First look at plans for Yorkshire Energy Park
THE images of the first buildings planned for a new £200m business park near Hull have been released.
Due to be constructed in phases, the £200m Yorkshire Energy Park is expected to take shape on a 212-acre site at the former Hedon Aerodrome between Hull and Hedon over the next decade.
Eventually, around 2,000 people are expected to work there with an estimated 120 construction jobs and 60 direct jobs being generated each year during a ten-year build.
Once completed, another 590 indirect jobs are expected to be created to service and supply businesses based there.
The first images of the two main facilities earmarked for the first phase build went on public show this week at pop-up exhibitions in Hedon and the Eastside community sports centre at the site.
One set of images show a proposed energy centre, which will provide power to businesses based there.
It features a gas-fired combined heat and power system that can be scaled up as the demand increases.
The design also anticipates a future transition to using hydrogen instead of natural gas as part of the development’s long-term aim to be net carbon zero.
The centre will also feature solar panels, the capacity for smallscale battery storage and an education area.
Also included in the first phase of the scheme will be the region’s first tier 3 data centre, which will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It will be powered by the nearby new energy plant which will provide all the necessary electrical and cooling requirements while heating will be provided by a combination of air-source heat pumps and a variable refrigerant cooling system.
Ultimately, the data centre will be aimed at providing data storage capacity for large organisations in the East Yorkshire area, such as education providers, councils and companies.
The latest updates from the consortium behind the project also include details of the creation of an ecological mitigation zone on the site which includes an 111-acre green buffer between the new buildings and nearby homes in Hedon and Preston South.
Under approved planning conditions, this has to be established before construction work can start on the first phase of the development.
Measures include the creation of additional wetland areas, a relocated public right of way to minimise disturbance to protected species of birds which are known to use the site and the establishment of an ecological steering group to monitor and manage the zone.
Construction work on the first plots is anticipated to start before the end of the year.
Later phases will include mixed-size business units, an outdoor building materials and testing facility, a higher education complex with training and research facilities and associated short-stay accommodation and a new community sports facility.
The University of Lincoln was recently announced as official education partners with the joint venture consortium behind the development.