Work to start on major Yorkshire shopping centre

Leeds-based contractor GMI Construction is due to start infrastructure works this summer for a £160M major retail park off the M62 near Castleford, Yorkshire.

Described as a next-generation regional shopping and entertainment destination, designed by Chapman Taylor of Manchester, will be built next to the planned 10,000-capacity community rugby league stadium for Castleford Tigers.

Lateral Property Group, together with the Highgrove Group, has now signed up M&S, Primark, Next and Boots as anchor tenants for the scheme, which has already gained planning permission

Previously known as Five Towns Park, the 75 shops centre has been renamed Axiom and will have 1km of frontage along the M62 motorway.

The client team includes Leeds-based Civic as structural and civil engineers and Hoare Lea as M&E consultant. Rex Procter and Partners are the cost consultants.

GMI Construction is in line to deliver the whole project, which will take two and a half years to build and support 1,100 construction jobs.

Work on the retail park will start in 2019 with the aim of opening the shopping complex in 2021.