A new joint venture (JV) has been established to lead the redevelopment of a former prison site in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Hambleton District Council has sealed a legal agreement with Wykeland Group to form the Central Northallerton Development Company, which will take forward the mixed-use regeneration of Northallerton Prison.

The 3.5-acre site will be transformed to include new retail units, managed workspaces, a heritage centre, apartments, restaurants, a cinema and an area for public events.

The prison, which dates back to 1780, was closed in 2013. The site was purchased by the council from the Ministry of Justice in 2014 to secure it as a key strategic development site.

In preparation for the scheme, a number of buildings have already been demolished and extensive archaeological works have been carried out, during which foundations for the world's largest treadmill were unearthed. Five listed buildings have been retained, including the former female prison wing and the Governor's House. The buildings will be sympathetically refurbished and incorporated into the phased development of the site.

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Wykeland Managing Director Dominic Gibbons said: "With the formal structures for the development company in place we can now move forward together to deliver this very exciting scheme.

"We're really looking forward to working closely with the local authority's members and officers to bring an important part of Northallerton's heritage back to life and deliver significant economic and community benefits to the town and its people.

"We're currently working up detailed plans for a planning application to be submitted in the first quarter of 2018. Although the development is in its early stages, we have had significant interest from commercial operators who recognise the potential of this project."

Hambleton District Council Chief Executive Justin Ives added: "This site gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only support and strengthen the retail and leisure economy of Northallerton, but to benefit the whole of the Hambleton district. Wykeland shares our goals to create a high-quality scheme which will benefit the whole community, so we are very much looking forward to working with them."

Image: Hambleton District Council Chief Executive Justin Ives, left, and Wykeland Group Managing Director Dominic Gibbons shake hands on their partnership for the redevelopment of Northallerton Prison.

(LM/MH)