A site originally slated for industrial redevelopment in West Yorkshire is being reassessed, with a portion of the land now reserved for a potential tram line connecting Bradford and Leeds.
Parry Lane Enterprise Zone, located near Bowling Back Lane, was supposed to anchor one of the region’s largest regeneration projects. A £19 million plan called for industrial units that would create roughly 500 jobs, with completion initially targeted for 2025.
Despite £8.8 million already going toward clearing and remediating the land, it sits empty today. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has now taken ownership and says it will evaluate options for the area’s future.
Parry Lane was among the first nine Enterprise Zones the authority put forward about ten years ago. The idea was to take underutilised land in well-positioned locations and make it appealing to developers who might otherwise overlook it.
Once home to Yorkshire Energy, the Parry Lane site had been sitting vacant for years before it was nominated as an Enterprise Zone. In 2020, planners approved a scheme for 25,000 square metres of employment space spread across 10 industrial units.
More recently, the area was referenced in preliminary proposals for a new tram route between Bradford and Leeds. At least one alignment under consideration would pass through the Bowling Back Lane corridor, potentially including a stop at Parry Lane.
The Combined Authority confirmed it acquired the land in March following a request from its Mass Transit team.
A spokesperson said the remediation work was successfully completed and the authority had become the legal owner. Future uses for the site are now under review, noting that a portion of the land remains safeguarded for the mass transit scheme. More details will be shared with the public and council members at the next full meeting.