"Biggest job creation scheme for decades": Plans submitted for £150m retail logistics facility in Yorkshire

A Yorkshire developer has announced plans to create more than 2,000 jobs with the construction of a “state-of-the-art” retail logistics facility.

Wykeland Group, based in Hull, has said that the development, at Melton West business park, will be the “biggest single job creation scheme in the region for decades”.

The planning application, which has been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, is for a 558,000 sq ft logistics facility with a that would create 1,300-1,500 direct jobs, with up to a further 500 in the supply chain.

During construction the development will also support more than 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs directly, with an estimated 1,200 more in the supply chain during the build phase.

The development will see £150m invested into the East Yorkshire area.

Construction is expected to begin next spring if planning permission is granted, and the facility would be operational in autumn 2022.

Dominic Gibbons, managing director at Wykeland, commented: “We are delighted to bring forward this planning application, which has resulted from 18 months of work with the end user to develop a scheme that meets their operational requirements, delivers huge economic benefits and enhances the woodland and wildlife environment on the boundary of the site.

“Melton West has been zoned in East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Local Plan for major employment uses since 1996 and we have been delivering on the council’s economic development vision for the past 15 years.

“During that time we have continually invested in the infrastructure on the site to ensure it is ‘oven ready’ to support sustained business growth and job creation.

“This proposal delivers on the Local Plan’s designation of the area for ‘major employment developments that use, produce, store or distribute bulky goods, complementing the smaller employment sites elsewhere in the East Riding and city of Hull’.

“Following the impact of Covid-19, the number and range of jobs this development will deliver are needed now, more than ever, and will be critical to the region’s economic recovery.

“The operator will prepare and agree an employment and training plan with the local authority, which will promote recruitment in the local area and outline opportunities for training.”

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