New firms commit to £1.7bn development at Doncaster Sheffield Airport’s GatewayEast

Airport owners Peel L&P has announced industrial developer Panattoni and property investor GC Capital will be moving to the nearby GatewayEast site – a planned new centre for retail, leisure and community use close by.

The development, called Panattoni Doncaster 420, will be a facility at the GatewayEast logistics and manufacturing hub near Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The firm has acquired the 18.4 acre site and they expect to start construction later this year with the intention of delivering the facility in Summer 2023.

North West-based property investor GC Capital acquired the 47,000 sq ft. Armstrong House office building on First Avenue marking their ‘first major investment’ in this part of the UK.

Other recent activity at GatewayEast includes lettings at the Avion development by Trebor Developments. These two lettings, including one to furniture retailer SCS, look set to create around 200 jobs.

Peel L&P say that GatewayEast is South Yorkshire’s’ largest opportunity for transformational sustainable social and economic growth’ which includes Doncaster Sheffield Airport as well as direct connections to the M18 and the Great Yorkshire Way link-road.

The wider site aims to boost South Yorkshire’s economy by £6.5bn within 15 years, creating 35,000 jobs and up to 3,000 new homes including a new residential development near Hayfield Green in Auckley.

It provides opportunities for 11 million sq ft of residential and commercial space across five distinct zones covering technology and innovation, advanced manufacturing, logistics, cargo and airside operations.

These will all be accompanied by new retail, leisure, and health and wellbeing space within the upcoming Central Plaza development.

Neal Biddle, development director for Peel L&P’s GatewayEast said: “These deals are a real sign of momentum for our GatewayEast development and it’s testament to the ambition of our masterplan.

“This sustainable, and fully connected development is becoming increasingly more attractive as a location for living and working, with a focus on sustainability, technology, logistics and innovation.

“This recent activity shows that businesses have the confidence in our vision for the area with other developers willing to invest in bringing forward speculative schemes based on high demand which brings a range of employment opportunities and related economic benefits to the area.”