Masterplan unveiled for Esholt Water Treatment Works

The early workings of a masterplan for the future of land surrounding the Esholt Water Treatment Works in West Yorkshire have been unveiled.This preliminary stage has been developed by Yorkshire Water and Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water, utilising findings gathered at a public consultation event held earlier this month (July).The Esholt Waste Water Treatment Works lies close to the major metropolitan areas of Leeds and Bradford, with Leeds-Bradford Airport to the east.Until the early 20th century the 32-acre site had been part of a natural parkland setting, with the Esholt Hall Park directly to the south and Jerrison Wood to the north. The industrialisation of the site occurred in the early 20th century, with the construction of the primary settlement tanks cutting in a linear grid across the natural landscape, and the significant earthworks that this involved. As a result of new technology, the operational footprint has reduced over recent years, leaving large areas of formerly operational land redundant and unused.Yorkshire Water and Keyland Developments Ltd have assembled a team to collaborate on the future of Esholt comprising of; Tate Harmer, a firm of architects on sustainability and natural environments, sustainability consultancy 3 ADAPT and integrated planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore.Taking into account the wider economic and social needs of the locality, the future uses of the land will fall into three general categories covering housing, workspaces and a “healthy and positive relationship with nature”.Creating a community to sit alongside Esholt Village, the homes will have shared recreation spaces, make use of local materials and facilitate living alongside nature.From a work perspective, the site will provide spaces to accommodate a mix of industry, with a particular focus on bio-tech businesses, taking advantage of the range of technologies and power sources from the adjacent treatment works.Consultation will be held on 18 July at Esholt Sports and Leisure Club with further meetings planned for autumn 2018.