Opus North and Bridges Fund Management have secured planning permission from Harrogate Borough Council for the Harrogate 47 sustainable employment development.

The project will deliver over 600,000 square feet of employment space on a 45-acre site near Harrogate. The new development has the potential to support 2,000 jobs.

In October 2020 Opus North and Bridges acquired the strategic site, located at J47 of the A1(M) in North Yorkshire, with existing planning consent for over 600,000 square feet of development for employment uses.

The latest planning approval gives the green light for a revised masterplan incorporating a BREEAM ‘Excellent’, low-carbon development with over 600,000 square feet of employment space for office, hi-tech/hybrid and logistics uses, as well as amenity uses, within a well-landscaped environment.


Harrogate 47 has been designed with ESG at the forefront of the development agenda. Key features of the new masterplan were a high-quality design response to the site's setting, incorporating sustainable features where possible to create a safe and attractive environment for future employees.

The development team has appointed contractor GMI to commence delivery of enabling and infrastructure works with immediate effect which will see the pioneering development take shape this year.

Ryan Unsworth, Development Director of Opus North, said: "This development is key for the Harrogate and wider North Yorkshire economy due to its capacity to transform vacant land into office and industrial space for local, regional and national occupiers, and the vast job-creating potential it has. The delivery of Harrogate 47 will allow local companies to expand and grow within the region in addition to attracting inward investment into the district and we are delighted that its potential has been recognised through the positive planning outcome."

Appointed industrial agents for Harrogate 47 are CBRE and Gent Visick, with the office enquiries directed to the office agency teams at CBRE and Knight Frank.