City Fields district centre set for green light

Plans for a new 110,000 sq ft district centre at the City Fields development in Wakefield look set to get the go-ahead at a council meeting next week (10 October 2019).DeVeer Estates, the commercial arm of Berkeley DeVeer, lodged plans earlier this year for development on a site of about seven acres, situated off Neil Fox Way, close to Pinderfields Hospital.Planning permission is sought for a new district centre comprising retail, leisure, health and community facilities for the residents of the City Fields area.The new hub will be centred on a 24,500 sq ft supermarket and will also include a family pub, children’s nursery, gym, healthcare facility, retail and units, drive thru coffee shop and 14 apartments.The application will go before Wakefield Council’s Planning Committee on 10 October and is recommended for approval, subject to conditions, in an officer’s report prepared for the meeting.The design team is led by Wakefield-based The Harris Partnership as architect, alongside detailed input from specialist masterplanning and planning consultancy Spawforths. Fox Lloyd Jones, the Leeds-based property advisory business, is acting as agent and development manager.When complete, City Fields will comprise more than 2,500 homes, a new primary school, parkland and other public realm, connected via the new Wakefield East Relief Road.