Work starts on prison redevelopment

Construction work has started on the redevelopment of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire.The Central Northallerton Development Company Ltd (CNDCL), a joint venture between Hull-based property developer Wykeland Group and Hambleton District Council, is behind the £17m Treadmills development.Yorkshire-based Castlehouse Construction has now begun work on the first phase of the scheme, which includes development of retail units and a car park on the south side of the former prison site.Lidl is the retail anchor for Treadmills and will take a 21,000 sq ft unit, while Iceland will occupy a unit with 6,000 sq ft on the ground floor and a 2,300 sq ft mezzanine level.An additional 1,330 sq ft retail unit will complete the southern part of the development, which will also feature parking for about 130 vehicles.Construction of the retail units and car park is expected to be completed by early summer next year, ready for the Lidl and Iceland stores to open by summer 2020 following fit-out.Five grade II-listed former prison buildings at the northern end of the site will be restored, refurbished and brought back into use as part of the next phase of the development, with work expected to start early next year.Occupiers will include digital technology companies, specialists and freelancers in a community managed by the Hull-based Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI).Subsequent phases will include a four-screen cinema, to be operated by Everyman, as well as restaurants and residential units, arranged around a new showpiece civic square.