Skelton Grange: 48-acre plot of land at site of former Leeds power station sold to Microsoft for £106.6m
A huge 48-acre plot of land at the site of a former power station in Leeds has been sold to Microsoft for £106.6m.
The sale, announced by firm Harworth, relates to its Skelton Grange site in the south east of the city.
It includes two adjoining parcels of land, which will be developed to build a new 'hyperscale data centre'.
The former Skelton Grange power station site was purchased by Harworth in December 2014 for £3m.
Harworth announced that the profits from the sale to Microsoft would be reinvested into its future development plans.
Lynda Shillaw, Chief Executive of the Harworth Group, said: "Since re-listing in 2015 Harworth has successfully completed a number of significant transactions that create value for our shareholders.
"But this sale at Skelton Grange is the Group’s largest to date and is yet another exemplary case study that demonstrates the successful regeneration of brownfield land.
"It highlights Harworth’s capabilities in identifying and acquiring complex sites, creating planning-friendly masterplans that maximise site potential, and deploying timely and effective investments into remediation and infrastructure.
"This transaction further builds our expertise to include datacentres and evidences the growing spectrum of industries that continue to be attracted to the schemes that Harworth brings to the serviced land market."