Development plans at the former Ferrybridge Power Station near Wakefield could bring 2,000 jobs to the area

The proposed scheme, known as Mountpark Ferrybridge, will comprise six state-of-the-art buildings ranging from 100,000 sq ft to 620,000 sq ft.

The plans by developer Mountpark Logistics include amenities such as roof terraces and high-quality landscaped areas for occupiers and their employees to enjoy.

The 1.64m sq ft industrial park development, if planning permission is granted, will be constructed on the former coal yard of the historic Ferrybridge Power Station C near Wakefield.

Brett Huxley, development director at Mountpark UK and Ireland, said: “We have held extensive consultations on our plans for the former coal yard site and our detailed planning application reflects the comments and suggestions from local stakeholders and Wakefield Council, all of whom are keen to see the site redeveloped.

“Mountpark Ferrybridge is an exciting opportunity to bring a historic brownfield site back to life by providing much needed industrial/logistics facilities to a strategically important distribution location.

"We aim to develop a best-in-class campus that will provide significant inward investment by offering our customers the best possible facilities and creating an environment that will attract and retain employees.”

The developer says the site will bring a construction investment of approximately £100 million and will create around 2,000 jobs across a range of sectors including warehouse operatives, heavy goods vehicle drivers, IT support teams, engineers, managers, administrators, accountants, as well as offering a range of training and apprenticeship opportunities.

The site is located within the vicinity of a large number of archaeological remains dating from the prehistoric to the modern periods but the developer says the “potential for any [archeology] to be be uncovered is considered to be low, due to our understanding of ground conditions within the site.

"The potential for archaeology to be uncovered during construction of the highways works is considered to be moderate and therefore, mitigation measures to deal with this risk will be proposed and include a watching brief during construction.”

And Mountpark Logistics says the draft proposals will create “a sustainable development that will have a positive impact on its natural surroundings”.

Several ecological surveys have been undertaken across the site in relation to habitats and species including birds, bats, otters and other invasive specie and the results of these surveys show that the site has limited ecological value, primarily down to the previous use as a coal yard.

Mountpark Logistics also said: “The proposed development is a great opportunity to create new habitats with the introduction of new green and blue spaces that will have a positive impact on the local wildlife.”

Constructed by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) in 1961, Power Station C began generating electricity in 1966 and was the first power station in Europe to succeed in generating electricity from a 500-megawatt machine.

At its peak, Ferrybridge Power Station employed more than 900 people. The coal-fired station at Ferrybridge produced electricity for more than 50 years meeting the energy needs of nearly two million people.

The power station was privatised in 1989 and ownership was passed to Powergen. It was sold twice more until SSE bought it in 2004.

Following its closure in 2016 after 50 years of operation, the power station and its landmark cooling towers were fully decommissioned and demolition was completed in March last year.

The start of the demolition work was regarded as a landmark moment in the UK’s energy transition towards a low-carbon future.