CBRE

A Huddersfield company has lots of land available for manufacturing businesses to relocate here … and the site even has its own power plant and wastewater treatment works.

The town’s Syngenta agrichemical manufacturing works is based on a sprawling 252-acre site and the global giant has plenty of space for other companies to relocate there and turn it into a diverse multi-business manufacturing hub employing hundreds of people to boost the local economy by millions of pounds.

The site is already home to speciality chemicals global manufacturers Lubrizol and Arxadia. Syngenta has some plots already under offer and is ideal for Yorkshire businesses needing to relocate but staying relatively local so they can retain their current workforce.

The company has now released a 20-acre plot for others to move to the site on Leeds Road which has transport routes close to the M62 motorway. They have identified several other vacant plots on the site which would be ideal for businesses involved in life sciences manufacturing, bringing products to consumers that benefit people’s health and wellbeing.

This is particularly apt as Huddersfield is on track to become the UK’s health education and innovation hub with millions of pounds and other support available to attract businesses to the town. The Syngenta premises are part of the West Yorkshire Life Sciences Investment Zone which offers incentives to businesses to move here.

The University of Huddersfield is building a National Health Innovation Campus a mile from Syngenta so businesses can also link in with the university’s expertise.

Anssar Khan, Head of Strategic Projects at Syngenta, said: “We have seen how the University of Huddersfield has helped to transform Huddersfield town centre in a creative way by building several new landmark buildings.

“Well, Syngenta has land available to help attract advanced manufacturing companies to Kirklees and embed a manufacturing campus at the site, adopting the latest technology and embracing the green transformation underway in big industry. We are very keen to bring economic improvement and good quality jobs here which will have a positive economic impact to Kirklees and the surrounding area.

“A massive bonus for any companies relocating here to lease land from us is that we have our own power plant on the site to provide gas and electricity which will be particularly attractive for high energy users.

“In Huddersfield, Syngenta is a manufacturer of agricultural solutions for farmers but also one very much involved in scientific application in Huddersfield with a lot of chemistry and chemical engineering expertise that compliments well with the educational strengths at the University of Huddersfield and other local colleges.

“We originally set aside and prepared a 20-acre plot for other companies to join us here which will be quick and relatively straightforward to develop, but soon realised that some of the other vacant areas around the plant may suit some businesses better. I can envisage a time when the site has different zones, such as one for logistics and another for green energy.

“It’s certainly a very exciting concept.”

The site, which is already home to Syngenta contractor companies such as bulk transport, is fenced and monitored 24/7 by resident security and CCTV.

“Other businesses are already based here so we know it’s a concept that works,” said Anssar. “We have been approached by a couple of companies looking to set up processing operations which also bring environmental benefits as well as economic benefits and there are some land-locked West Yorkshire companies desperate to expand but eager to stay in the region to keep their workforces local.”

Syngenta’s history on the site can be traced back more than 110 years and recent research has revealed it generates £140 million for the Kirklees economy every year while the site provides employment for more than 750 people with salary levels 53% higher than those of Kirklees as a whole.

Syngenta, which produces products for use in agriculture to protect crops, is close to Deighton Railway Station which is undergoing massive renovation as part of the multi-billion pound Transpennine Route upgrade to electrify the railway from Manchester to York.

The site is also on a major bus route so is ideal for employees to get there by bus or train and there is also plenty of room for free on-site car parking.

Anssar added: “Flat industrial land is to be cherished in Kirklees and we have an offer here for likeminded industries to partner with us on land use, tap into our energy and wastewater treatment systems and benefit from a 24/7 security response.

“Our operations are accessible for employees and transport links are getting once-in-a-generation upgrades. Put all that together and our manufacturing campus can be a real asset to Kirklees.”

Companies interested can contact Dave Cato at commercial property company CBRE by email dave.cato@cbre.com