PLANS have been lodged to knock down an office building in Cleckheaton to make way for a petrol station, shop and drive-thru.
The scheme, from the billionaire Issa brothers’ EG Group, would see the “redundant” three-story Centurion House on Centurion Way near Chain Bar at junction 26 of the M62, demolished.
It has been submitted to Kirklees Council by EG Group Ltd, which is run by Blackburn-born Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa.
Documents accompanying the application indicate that the building is “redundant and no longer viable as an office building”.
In a planning statement, it says: “The site has been actively marketed since November of 2021 within a large catchment area of Leeds and Bradford. There have been no requests to view the property and no interest, beyond downloads of particulars.
“The lack of interest is understood to be due to the post-Covid lack of demand for office spaces in such a location. This is not a market whereby it is expected that demand will bounce back.
“The lack of interest indicates that the building is no longer considered viable for an office and hence, there should be no concern regarding the loss of office space for the borough as a whole.”
The redevelopment would create around 25 jobs. A total of 24 parking spaces would be included in the redevelopment of the site, for both staff and customers.
The plans do not indicate which brand would operate the drive-thru, should the application be successful, but the EG Group already operates sites with Starbucks, Greggs and KFC drive-thrus attached.
The Centurion Way site itself is near other existing foodstores, including Starbucks and Subway.
The three-storey office building was built around the turn of the century, and according to the documents, the only remaining tenant has indicated it will be vacating the building, leaving it completely empty.
The documents add: “The site is within a commercial area, surrounded by businesses and therefore, there is not a sensitive neighbour in proximity.”
“The scheme will provide an attractive and modern-looking petrol filling station unit. The building will consist of a modern palette of materials. Glazing will maximise natural surveillance across the proposed forecourt, thus discouraging crime and anti-social behaviour.”
An initial target date for a decision on the plans has been set by planners as September 16.
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