Giant former Superdrug warehouse in West Yorkshire set to get revamp
The scheme will allow a new business to move into the high street retailer’s former distribution centre
Plans to refurbish Superdrug’s former warehouse in South Elmsall have been given the go-ahead.
Wakefield Council approved a scheme designed to enable a new business to move into the 296,500 sq ft premises after the high street retailer shut down its distribution centre last December.
The site was one of the area’s biggest employers for more than 35 years until Superdrug’s lease expired last year.
The warehouse is within an 18-acre site, which the company occupied soon after it was built at Dale Lane Industrial Estate in the early 1990s.
In February, site owner Arrow Capital Partners submitted an application to upgrade the property to allow for “the continued use of the site for employment purposes.”
The scheme includes an external refurbishment of the building, along with new fencing, gates and parking spaces.
A planning statement prepared 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.
A council planning officer’s report said: “The proposals would enable the applicant to invest, adapt and modernise their existing site with the aim of securing a new tenant and longevity of the site for employment use.
“The proposed development is considered to comply with all relevant national and local planning policy and guidance.”
Superdrug announced last year that it would close the South Elmsall site, where some staff members had worked for decades, resulting in the loss of around 350 jobs.