Microsoft to build on former power station site
Harworth Group has agreed to sell 48 acres of land at its Skelton Grange site
- Published
Tech giant Microsoft is set to build a "hyperscale data centre" at the site of a former power station following a £106.6m deal.
Land and property regeneration company Harworth Group has agreed to sell 48 acres of land at its Skelton Grange site south-east of Leeds.
The site, which the company bought for £3m in 2014, comprises 162 acres in total.
The group's chief executive Lynda Shillaw said the sale of the two land parcels demonstrated the successful regeneration of brownfield areas.
The American firm will build a data centre on the Leeds site
Harworth Group said completion of the sale was expected in 2026 with the proceeds to be reinvested into its development programme.
Ms Shillaw said: "Since re-listing in 2015, Harworth has successfully completed a number of significant transactions that create value for our shareholders but this sale at Skelton Grange is the group’s largest to date and is yet another exemplary case study that demonstrates the successful regeneration of brownfield land."
Harworth Group said it hopes that as well as the data centre the Skelton Grange site will feature a battery energy storage system (BESS) and an energy-from-waste facility in the future.
The company said it would also return around 28 acres of land to a natural habitat alongside improved green travel infrastructure.
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