Land next to Scotch Corner Designer Village – new development proposals
New outline proposals are being submitted to Richmondshire Council for the development of two sites just to the south of the Scotch Corner Designer Village which is currently under construction on the western side of Junction 53 of the A1(M). This website has been launched to provide key information and help local residents, businesses and other interested parties obtain further information.
The two new proposals seek to attract major new investment into the area in the shape of an advanced manufacturing facility for Rolls-Royce along with a new state-of-the-art film studio. They offer the opportunity to strengthen and diversify the local economy.
This website also contains information on an additional proposed planning application to develop a further phase of the Scotch Corner Designer Village.
Advanced Manufacturing Facility
Rolls Royce has shortlisted one of the sites at Scotch Corner for a new factory to manufacture parts for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme set up to increase the availability of low-cost, clean energy.
Compared to ‘regular’ sized reactors, SMR’s have a much smaller footprint, which means that components can be built more quickly and safely in factories, and then shipped for assembly at the installation site.
Unlike conventional large-scale nuclear reactors that have to be built on-site and have unique designs, SMRs can be manufactured in factories with standardised designs. This means you can scale production, reduce costs, and lower the risk of delays in the construction of nuclear power plants.
With an investment value of around £200 million, the factory will manufacture heavy pressure vessels and associated components for SMR’s. The vessels will be up to 4m in diameter and 15m long and weigh in up to 150,000 Kg. Once fabricated, they will be transported for installation at proposed operational SMR sites elsewhere in the country as well as internationally.
There is no requirement for the factory to conduct any activities which would require it to be a Nuclear Licensed installation, it will be purely an engineering operation.
The outline plans which are being submitted to Richmondshire Council aim to meet the specifications of Rolls Royce which are for a factory footprint of around 23,000 sq. m along with ancillary support offices of 3,100 sq. m. To get a feel for the size of this, it covers an area of about three full-sized football pitches.
The proposed location is shown on the indicative site layout plan below. It is in the south east corner of land to the south of the A6108 Barracks Bank and the Blue Anchor roundabout. A new dedicated access will be created off the A6055 via a new roundabout. Extensive landscaping and use of mounds will feature to screen the new building.
If the outline plans are approved by the Council then this mean that the site will be in an advanced position for delivery of the new factory should Rolls-Royce decide to select it as the preferred location. There are competing sites elsewhere, but the Scotch Corner location is a strong candidate whose credentials will be reinforced if the outline planning application is approved.
Aside from the investment associated with the new factory which in itself will generate significant construction jobs and opportunities for local companies in the construction supply chain, the finished development will create around 300 new jobs. Around 100 of these are expected to be skilled manufacturing and engineering roles. These will be high skilled, long-term jobs, supporting global decarbonisation.
Excellent opportunities will also exist for training and apprenticeships either provided by a dedicated training college or in partnership with local providers to ensure that there is a strong pipeline of skilled employees into the future.
Film and TV production facility
This proposal on a further site responds to an urgent need of the film industry. According to recent expert research, an additional six million square feet of film and television production space is required by 2026 if the sector is to keep pace with growing demand.
The British film industry continues to be highly successful and there has been an increased appetite for TV and film since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast increase in global film and HETV (High End Television) production has been driven by streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney Plus and HBO and enabled by smart devices and enhanced coverage of high-speed mobile data.
At the moment, the UK has approximately 3.4 million sq. ft of permanent stage space and 2 million sq. ft. of temporary stage space. Potential future developments are estimated at approximately 3.6 million sq. ft, but many of these face development and funding constraints.
A film and TV production facility can add real value to a region by creating employment and training opportunities in the creative industry. The Scotch Corner site offers the opportunity to diversify the local and regional economy in a very positive fashion when in full use, the facility is expected to have up to 500 people working on site.
Currently, there is a massive shortage of skilled production labour, which is causing concern throughout the UK film production industry. It is envisaged that the new facility will offer skills training in the form of apprenticeships and collaborate with nearby colleges to offer practice and training opportunities.
In addition, facilities like this one can attract tourism to an area by establishing itself as a cultural asset open to visitors. Given the opportunity to link to existing tourist attractions in the vicinity as well as the Designer Village and Garden Centre, there are very obvious synergies here.
Yorkshire is already well-known as a location for major productions like Bridgerton, Brideshead Revisited, Mansfield Park, Gentleman Jack, Victoria and Peaky Blinders. There are very strong grounds for confidence that a new film and TV facility at Scotch Corner would be an attractive locational proposition for the film and TV industry.
The proposed location is shown on the indicative site layout plan. It is in the western part of land to the south of Barracks Bank and adjacent to the proposed advanced manufacturing facility. A green buffer zone with extensive planting is proposed. The primary access will be via the new roundabout created on the A6055 which also serves the proposed advanced manufacturing facility.
A new secondary access will be created off Barracks Bank via a new roundabout which also provides access to the new Garden Centre and proposed extension to the Designer Village.
The outline proposals seek to meet the known needs of the film industry and provide five buildings which will contain sound and event stages, workshops, storage for equipment, wardrobes and props as well as space for post-production services and offices. The buildings provide around 30,650 sq. m of space and there will be 238 car parking spaces provided. Around 40 additional spaces will also be provided to cover the servicing of the studios.
The Scotch Corner Designer Village and Garden Centre
The new Designer Village is currently under construction and will bring a number of the finest brands from Yorkshire, the UK and the rest of the world into a highly attractive setting that aims to create the feel of a Yorkshire village.
When complete, around 80 leading brands will be on offer at outlet prices including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s and Calvin Klein. The appeal of this major new shopping destination will be enhanced by a wide-ranging offer of restaurants and cafés including wagamama.
Entirely complementary to the Designer Village will be the Scotch Corner Garden Centre which will be operated by Blue Diamond, one of the largest garden centre groups in the UK and The Channel Islands. This has already been approved by Richmondshire Council.
The new 14,775 sq. m home and garden centre will be the largest in the UK and will showcase the company’s superb range of plants, for all seasons, indoor and outdoor as well as homeware, garden furniture and fashion.
Combined, the Designer Village and Garden Centre aims to be the leading outlet shopping and leisure destination in the North of England.
Infrastructure and ground works representing an investment in excess of £20 million have been underway since the Spring of 2022 for Phase 1 of the Designer Village. The main building contract, a further investment of some £90 million is to be signed very shortly. The expected opening will be end of 2023 for both the Designer Village and the Garden Centre.
You can get a feel for the extent of the entire site by watching the drone video available on this website which was filmed in in June 2022. The infrastructure and ground works in the video have progressed even further since then.
The next proposed step will be a further planning application to extend the Designer Village with a further £75m investment to create a new phase. This will be located to the south of the Garden Centre and link through to the south western edge of the already approved Designer Village. It is estimated that the new phase will create around 500 new jobs.
The proposals here provide for an additional 39 shops and restaurants along with an additional 976 car parking spaces. This new phase will be accessed off a new roundabout on Barracks Bank which has already been agreed as part of the approved Garden Centre plans.
How to find out more and have your say
We invite you to give us your thoughts on these outline proposals in the ‘Your Feedback’ section of this website.
To help you understand how the various approved and proposed developments at Scotch Corner work together, we have made a phasing plan available on this website.
To offer a more interactive session, we are also holding a live online presentation (‘webinar’) on the proposals. There will be the opportunity to put your questions and give your comments to the development team. This will be held on Wednesday 7th December 2022. Please visit ‘Your Feedback’ to register.
Register for our webinar
Presentation of latest proposals and Q&A on Wednesday 7th December at 6.30pm.
RegisterYour feedback
We would like to hear from as many residents, businesses and organisations as possible.
Tell us what you thinkScotch Corner Aerial view
Phasing plan
Watch our drone video
Contact us
You can get in touch with us here.