Work has started on a multi-million pound development at West Yorkshire's busiest shopping, leisure and business park which attracts thousands of shoppers from all over the North.

Two huge empty factories on land off Gelderd Road, opposite IKEA, at the Centre 27 complex in Birstall, are now being demolished to make way for eight retail units for High Street chains.

The site was owned by Bradford-based Spring Ram, the bathroom and kitchen giant, but was sold for £15 million to London-based developers Edge Properties last month to help reduce the company's debts.

Stephen Homer, property executive for Edge Properties, said: "The development will be a prestige retail park made up of eight units 8,000 sq ft upwards. They will be occupied by national retailers selling goods such as furniture, electrical items and carpets.

"We cannot say who these companies are until we have completed the negotiations. We will also be able to give more details later about the exact cost of the development and how many jobs will be created.

"The development will be called the West Yorkshire Retail Park and we expect it to be open next Easter.''

Spring Ram had originally planned to build five retail units covering 92,000sq ft and a 690-space car park on the site at a cost of £14 million. It would have created 150 jobs.

Furnishings company Courts, the cycling and car accessories chain Halfords, Northern Electric and Scottish Power had been lined up for four of the units.

The scheme included road improvements worth £650,000 to ease congestion at the complex which attracts 40,000 shoppers at weekends.

It also included making a private road - owned by Spring Ram - between Holden Ing Way and Oakwell Way into a public highway and asking Kirklees Council to adopt it. In addition new traffic lights on Gelderd Road to replace the existing roundabout were planned.

Mr Homer said these road proposals would still go ahead as planned. Existing retailers at Centre 27 have already given their support for the road improvements.

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