Harworth secures permission for rail and logistics hub in North Yorkshire

A major 1.5million sqft industrial and logistics hub in North Yorkshire has received planning permission.

Regeneration firm Harworth has secured the consent at its 185 acre Gascoigne Interchange site between Leeds and Selby. The plans include seven Grade A specification units ranging from 57,000 sqft to 1million sqft forming a significant rail-connected hub that is expected to generated £190m gross development value.

Harworth told investors on the London Stock Exchange of the news which means it is likely to start construction in 2025. The firm describes the site, which includes a number of rail sidings, as one of the most strategically located in the region - and one it says will allow occupiers to access a main line rail connection, providing low carbon freight movement.

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The site is connected to Network Rail's main Leeds to Hull line. Harworth says the rail access to the north of the site is suitable for creating a railhead with the ability to handle containers, bulk commodities and next-generation express freight services. And in the south of the site, 1,200 metres of frontage onto the main line mean it is capable of hosting a "major intermodal terminal" for occupiers and other businesses off-site.

Lynda Shillaw, chief executive at Harworth, said: "Our development at Gascoigne Interchange is another example of Harworth's unique ability to identify, acquire and transform brownfield sites to generate value, create jobs and increase investment in the region. This development complements Harworth's extensive pipeline of industrial and logistics sites and we continue to see high demand for high-specification strategically-connected Grade A industrial space."

Last month Harworth issued a 2024 AGM statement in which it said it had planning applications in motion for 10.1million sqft of industrial and logistics space. It also pointed to 400,000 sqft of industrial and logistics space already under development or ready to start this year, of which 52% was pre-let or being built for an owner-occupier.