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The general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers has spoken about his hopes for jobs and employment prospects in the region as details of a huge redevelopment of the former Kellingley Colliery site have emerged.

Two development firms are working in partnership to bring a gigantic 1.1 million sq. ft.state-of-the-art warehouse, Konect 62, to the site where Kellingley Colliery once stood near Knottingley.

The colliery, which stood just beyond the Wakefield district boundary in Selby, North Yorkshire, was the UK’s last deep mine, shuttering its doors in 2015 after 50 years of operation.

It was owned and operated by UK Coal and once the largest deep mine in Europe. At its peak, the colliery employed more than 2,000 workers.

Mr Kitchen started in the mining industry at Wheldale Colliery in Castleford in July 1982 and was the NUM branch Secretary at Kellingley Colliery from 1999 until he was elected the union's Yorkshire area and national secretary in 2007.

The project is set to bring 2,000 jobs to the area in its first development phase, which could double by the end of its second one.

Chris Kitchen, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, began his career in the mining industry at Wheldale Colliery in Castleford in 1982 and was the branch secretary at Kellingley Colliery for over eight years until he was elected as the union’s Yorkshire area and national secretary in 2007.

Mr Kitchen said: “The fact that the site is being redeveloped to bring it back into use is good news and the employment generated could potentially be beneficial to the area.

"But it is dependent on how many jobs will be created, the quality of the jobs, the salaries, and whether the jobs will be able to be done by local people.

Kellingley Colliery near Knottingley which closed down in 2015 after 50 years of operation.

"We’ve seen regeneration projects that have had an adverse effect on local communities, where jobs have improved the area but have left local people behind with increased house prices, for example.

"Hopefully, this won’t happen and the jobs on offer will be decent, well-paid and secure for local people that will benefit the community and the local economy.”

The developers, Henderson Park and Cole Waterson, have promised the 2,000 jobs on offer will be a mix from technical engineers, robotic and computing experts, logistic experts, as well as warehouse operators, drivers, management roles and warehouse administrators.

The construction – which is being completed by McLaren Construction Group, is expected to be completed by the end of next year, with tenants in as soon as possible.

'It's good news': General secretary of National Union of Mineworkers reacts to Knottingley's Kellingley Colliery redevelopment