A former industrial site, which planning authorities have previously rejected for development, is back in the market as a potential rail freight terminal. Gascoigne Wood, the site of a former open cast coal mine, is being advertised by developers as a rail-connected logistics terminal deep in the heart of the industrial northeast of England.

Extensive development in the area around the town of Selby in Yorkshire, which would have encroached on greenfield sites in the neighbourhood, was rejected by planners in 2020. Now, land development company Harworth Group is readvertising the site for commercial use, including rail facilities.

Transpennine Route Upgrade Project

Gascoigne Wood is a 185-acre (75 hectares) is a former colliery site within the semi-rural neighbourhood of Sherburn-in-Elmet, in North Yorkshire. The site is being promoted as Sherburn Rail Freight Terminal. Harworth Group, the property development company with a long-standing interest in the area, has begun promoting it as a future logistics hub with extensive rail freight potential. “The proposals at Gascoigne Wood seek to capitalise on the unique rail connectivity, and the site can attract major inward investment and deliver supply to meet the projected demand arising from rail freight growth in the UK”, said Chris Davidson of Harworth.

The post-industrial Gascoigne Wood site in 2016 (Image Harworth Group)

The viability of the site has been enhanced recently. Network Rail began using part of the site as a logistics hub to support the Transpennine Route Upgrade Project. The changing attitude towards several factors – including rail freight, climate change and warehousing, has given Harworth confidence in their plans for up to 2 million square feet (186,000 square metres) of rail-linked industrial and logistics space.

Line diverted in 1983

The former colliery site’s existing rail connection has a facility for accommodating trains up to 775m in length – the industry-standard maximum in the UK. As Harworth’s own publicity shots show, the site has been used to store and stable passenger stock – notably the superseded train sets from the East Coast Main Line, which were replaced by the troubled Hitachi-built Intercity Express train sets.

The site at Gascoigne Wood was, until 1983, adjacent to the East Coast Main Line. However, because of extensive coal mining operations planned for the area, the line was diverted away from the area, removing the nearby town of Selby from the mainline. Rail connections were, however, maintained for freight and local services.