Work starts on £2.5m mixed use refurbishment project in Wakefield city centre

Award-winning main construction contractor, Priestley Construction, has started work on a £2.5m mixed use refurbishment project on Marygate in the heart of Wakefield city centre. The design and build project will see Marygate House, which was originally built as an office building in the 1970s, transformed into 26 stunning apartments over three floors.

In addition, the existing ground-floor retail units will be upgraded with new shop fronts and canopies, to create an impressive and rejuvenated streetscape, on behalf of developer, IP Marygate House.

The development will offer a selection of smart studio apartments, as well as one and two bedroom homes, that will all benefit from a high specification finish with luxury furnishings, generous open-plan living areas, large windows, spacious bathrooms and high-speed fibre broadband. The homes will be ready to move into early next summer.

The scheme has been designed by Leeds based PDG Architects and Bingley based Holdgate Consulting Engineers is providing structural engineering services.

Nathan Priestley, CEO of the Priestley Group, said: “As a Yorkshire-based business, we continue to see the huge potential in the region’s smaller towns and cities, such as Wakefield, which is a city on the up, driven by a council that is committed to bringing its ambitious regeneration plans to life.

“We are thrilled to start work giving Marygate House a new lease of life, as well as significantly enhancing the local street scene in a sought-after part of the city centre, within the main retail centre and close to the historic Civic Quarter.

“Our experience in delivering high quality residential developments in key city centre locations has enabled us to create a vision for a scheme that will be a fantastic place to live, as well as being a valuable asset for both Marygate and Wakefield as a whole.”

Priestley Construction is currently working on a number of other high-profile contracts across Yorkshire, the North West and London.

These include converting a Grade II Listed school building into 83 apartments on Great George Street in Leeds and refurbishing the ground floor of Conditioning House in Bradford city centre into office space and a gymnasium, as well as designing and building seven industrial units alongside it.

The company is working on another Grade II listed conversion at The Old Post Office in Harrogate, which is being transformed into 23 serviced apartments and is working on the design and build of four executive homes, known as The Paddocks, at Holly Tree Farm in Knutsford.

In addition, Priestley Construction is currently working on a transformational project on Packington Street in Islington, London, to create a new and up-market bar and restaurant.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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