Member Article

Phase One of historic Huddersfield mill site now fully let

Phase One of the major regeneration of the historic 13-acre Park Valley Mills site in Lockwood, Huddersfield, has been completed and is now fully let.

The flagship site, which is owned by Holmfirth Dyers, is being transformed into a high-quality business park, featuring 18 brand-new industrial units with office and storage space.

Park Valley Mills had previously been derelict for many years, with buildings falling into disrepair. Now the revamped site off Meltham Road in Lockwood has created more than 70 new jobs and is regenerating the area.

The final units in Phase One have just been leased to expanding Kirklees firm Distinct Disposables. Founded in 1987, the family-owned company is a one-stop-cleaning shop, distributing cleaning and janitorial products to West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Manchester.

Distinct Disposables has taken of 5,560 sq ft quality business space at a base rent of £5.85 and moved into its new headquarters at Park Valley Mills this month.

Emma Wood, a director of Distinct Disposables, explained: “Our new units at Park Valley Mills are three times the size of our current premises in Meltham and are perfect for the future growth plans of the business. We feel at home already. It is perfect.

“Huddersfield is our home town, so it was really important for us to keep our family business in the area. Our new site will really aid our growth allowing us to provide an even more efficient service to our customers. The site itself is fabulous and I instantly knew it was the right place for us to move to.

“The units are of great quality and we have invested very heavily in making the building suitable for our purposes. We have designed open-plan offices including meeting rooms, canteen and a modern reception area, resulting in a great workspace for staff and, equally importantly, a place we can invite customers and potential customers to see exactly what Distinct is all about,” she explained.

Holmfirth Dyers managing director Martin Duckett explained that work on Phase Two, which features 9,250 sq ft of quality industrial space, divided into units as required, has now been completed. Discussions are now well advanced with two occupiers to take more than 6,200 sq ft.

He commented: “There is a distinct lack of high-quality units in Huddersfield, so we have not been surprised by the demand for our attractive and practical modern units, which start from 2,200 sq ft and can be adapted to suit tenants’ requirements.

“Our aim, which is now being achieved, is to create opportunities for local businesses and to encourage them to come to a site in attractive peaceful surroundings, yet situated close to the centre of Huddersfield,” he added.

The tenants on site already are Holmfirth Dyers themselves, who have taken 9,700 sq ft of manufacturing and storage space; heating and air conditioning company Midland Jay, who have taken 2,200 sq ft; Process Imaging Equipment Services, who have taken 2,200 sq ft; and Denby Dale Coffee Ltd, who have also taken 2,200 sq ft.

Mike Haigh, partner with leading Leeds property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, commented: “This is a superb development for Huddersfield, which is already creating jobs and regenerating the area.

“Holmfirth Dyers must be congratulated on building speculatively in a challenging commercial property market. The company has tremendous faith in the Huddersfield area and is delighted to welcome new occupiers to this site, which has a proud history and a great future.

Paul Kemp, Assistant Director for Investment and Regeneration for Kirklees Council, commented: “The council welcomes the fact that a successful local company is leading on a scheme to provide much-needed expansion space for businesses to the Huddersfield area.”

The site already houses a state-of-the-art dyehouse – the first of its kind to be built in the UK for 20 years. The dyehouse, which is capable of handling 50 tonnes of material a week, has created five jobs with more expected as production increases.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .