Plans approved for @TheDock expansion to boost Hull’s digital community

Computer-generated images of the Wykeland Group’s @TheDock development in Hull’s thriving Fruit Market area.

PLANNING permission has been granted for two new buildings to complete Wykeland Group’s successful @TheDock tech campus in Hull’s Fruit Market creative quarter.

Hull City council’s Planning Committee has given the green light to the three-storey buildings, which will provide 31,000 sq ft of offices, co-working and meeting space to enable tech companies to continue to collaborate and grow.

The @TheDock development, which has the C4DI (Centre for Digital Innovation) tech hub as its centrepiece, is fully occupied, with many tech companies growing fast and in need of more space and others keen to benefit from the unique collaborative community.

Around 200 start-up or scale-up tech firms are based at C4DI or closely linked to it. @TheDock is also home to digital innovation teams from prestige businesses such as Arco, the UK’s leading safety company, and global defence and security leader Saab.

The expansion will provide space for many of these businesses to grow and create more highly-skilled digital jobs, to accelerate the development of one of the UK’s leading tech clusters.

The new buildings will have ground-floor parking for 41 cars, electric car ports and secure cycle spaces, and two floors of offices above.

David Donkin, Property Director of Hull-based Wykeland, said: “These new buildings will offer a range of sizes of offices to cater for pent-up demand from start up, scale up and established technology businesses that need space to grow.

“The growth of this tech community will add to the hundreds of highly-skilled and well-paid jobs already created on the site and help to consolidate the critical mass of like-minded businesses.”

John Connolly, Managing Director of C4DI, said: “This is great news for C4DI and the fast-growing digital community in the region.

“Approval for these plans recognises the success of C4DI and @TheDock in creating a focal point and catalyst for digital technology businesses and traditional companies that benefit from working with them.

“The further investment on this thriving site will enable many more tech ventures and entrepreneurs to realise their potential.”

Wykeland is one of Yorkshire and the Humber’s leading commercial developers with current projects ranging from major urban regeneration schemes to some of the region’s most prestigious business parks.

Wykeland is working in a joint venture with Beal Homes and in partnership with Hull City Council to create Hull’s first urban village in the Fruit Market waterfront area. The regeneration of the Fruit Market has seen a near-derelict area transformed into a vibrant commercial, cultural and residential community.

Wykeland is also delivering the £17m redevelopment of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire, in partnership with Hambleton District Council. The Treadmills scheme will include retail units anchored by Lidl, managed workspaces, restaurants, an Everyman cinema and public events area.

Other flagship Wykeland schemes include the fast-growing Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire; the expanding Meltonwest business park west of Hull; the Flemingate mixed-use regeneration scheme in Beverley, East Yorkshire; and the G@Glasshoughton development off Junction 32 of the M62 in West Yorkshire.