New video released about Yorkshire Energy Park

Developers behind the proposed £200m Yorkshire Energy Park have released a new video to provide an insight into what the park could become, should planners give the scheme the go-ahead in the coming months.

The potential new development located on the former Hedon Aerodrome site on the outskirts of Hull, within the village of Preston South and to the west of Hedon, will create up to 4,480 jobs and attract significant inward investment from national and international companies.

An energy centre, data centre and disaster recovery suite, space to grow local businesses, and education, training and research facilities, will sit alongside associated short-stay accommodation, an outdoor building materials and testing facility, and brand new sports facilities for the community under the plans.

The energy park site will also include 45 hectares of green space, protected for 150 years, as an enhanced area for wintering birds, as well as an off-site wildlife habitat of a further 89 hectares.

Plans for the Yorkshire Energy Park are expected to go before East Riding of Yorkshire’s Council’s Planning Committee in the coming months to determine whether or not the development is given the green light to progress.

Claire Harrison, Yorkshire Energy Park Project Director, said: “We have worked in partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the statutory agencies for three years to develop a scheme which maximises the benefits for local people, while being sympathetic to its surroundings.

“Alongside progressing the technical matters, we wanted to capture and share the vision for the park, and really bring to life the positive impacts it will have on our area.

“The video aims to showcase the range of career opportunities that will be available and the education and research facilities which will work hand in hand with the businesses, so local people can develop new skills and qualifications.

“It also shows how green the park will be, with tree lined walks and protected habitat for the wintering birds.”

The proposed location for the Yorkshire Energy Park is the only available site on the north bank of the Humber which has a natural gas supply of sufficient size and capacity already on the site, along with a National Grid connection in close proximity.

As a result, the park can provide clean, reliable energy at around 20% less than the market cost for businesses located on the park, and energy can also be sold back to the grid.

Because of this unique proposition, a number of multi-national and national brand names have announced their commitment to the scheme if planning permission is granted, including E.ON, Asanti Data Centres, Dell, and Legal & General.

Hull College Group, one of the largest further and higher education colleges in the country, and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), an academic department of the University of Warwick and one of the world’s leading education and research groups, have also backed the plans.

Lord Christopher Haskins, Chair of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said the energy park has the organisation’s “full support”.

It comes as the Humber LEP recently launched its prospectus for a Humber Industrial Strategy, including its ambition to decarbonise the Humber by 2040 and for the Humber Energy Estuary to be a global leader in clean energy generation.

It is also leading a consultation on its priorities for the future development of the Humber, involving businesses and other organisations with a stake in its success by the end of July, and agreeing its industrial strategy later in 2019.

Lord Haskins said: “I would like to reiterate the LEP’s full support for the Yorkshire Energy Park’s proposals.

“Its strategic fit to the LEP’s strategic economic plan and to the Government’s Industrial Strategy White Paper, along with its scale and potential to make an exponential difference to our region’s Energy Estuary ambitions, becoming a real presence within the Northern Powerhouse discussions, make it worthy of our full support.

“Although not originally in the latest East Riding Local Plan as employment land, the site has a massive inherent advantage as it has both a gas supply crossing it and an entrance point to the National Grid in close proximity, enabling the generation of clean electricity on site at a cost up to 20 per cent less than market.

“It is perfect for those businesses with high energy requirements who need a constant, resilient and cost-effective supply of electricity and heat, such as highly-automated businesses, certain manufacturing firms and data centres.

“The site is unique in the Humber and will give the area a major advantage over competing areas.

“To not consider it viable employment land, given the competitive advantage it could offer, would be a travesty.”