Giant former Superdrug warehouse set for upgrade to ‘secure new tenant’
Plans have been lodged to refurbish a giant warehouse in South Elmsall previously occupied by Superdrug.
The 296,500 sq ft building served as the high street retailer’s distribution centre and was one of the area’s biggest employers for more than 35 years until it’s lease expired in December last year.
The warehouse sits in an 18-acre site, which the company occupied soon after it was built at Dale Lane Industrial Estate in the early 1990s.
Site owner Arrow Capital Partners has submitted an application to carry out an upgrade of the property to enable “the continued use of the site for employment purposes.”
Proposals include carrying an external refurbishment of the building, along with new fencing, gates and parking spaces.
A planning statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said: “The application is submitted following the vacation of the unit by the former tenant, Superdrug Stores PLC.
“The application is for part of a series of works that will refurbish the unit and bring it up to modern occupational standards with the aim of securing a new tenant.
“As the proposed works are minor in the context of the existing site and development, we consider that the application is non-contentious and should be approved at the first available opportunity.”
Wakefield Council planning officers have yet to determine the application.
Superdrug announced last year that it would be closing the South Elmsall site, where some staff members had worked for decades, with the loss of around 350 jobs.
The company said it planned to consolidate its distribution operations at its warehouse in Bedfordshire and would be boosting its presence with 25 new stores and 600 new jobs across the UK.
At the time, Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, called on the company to reverse its decision to close.
He said: “Superdrug’s justification for the closure is that it is part of a plan to ‘evolve’ their supply chain, with the aim of improving efficiency and expanding customer access.
“But these corporate platitudes mask the devastating impact this decision will have on real people, real families, and an entire community.”