Wakefield will be West Yorkshire’s entrant in a bid to secure the investment for the Great British Railways headquarters, a competition announced last October by the Secretary of State for Transport, to find a suitable location outside of London.
Backed by local authority leaders and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Wakefield will submit a proposal for the headquarters to be located in the heart of the city centre.
That decision has now been approved by Wakefield Council and a formal Expression of Interest – the first stage in the process – will be submitted by the deadline of 16 March 2022.
Councillor Darren Byford, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Property, said: “With the backing of the West Yorkshire Mayor and the region’s leaders we are delighted to be bidding for such an opportunity that aims to bring the headquarters and lots of well-paid jobs to Wakefield.
“In order to boost the economic performance of our city we must broaden the city centre office market, providing a quality supply of office accommodation that will increase footfall.
“The Great British Railways HQ project will be a key enabler in supporting this and the Wakefield bid will focus on a key development that has been designed with exactly this kind of opportunity in mind.”
The shortlist will be announced in May.
