CREATORS of a new business park in Keighley have filled every unit despite economic uncertainty surrounding Covid-19.

Keighley firms wanting to expand snapped up all eight units built on a triangle of land formerly owned by Keighley Cricket Club.

Oakwood Business Park, on Royd Way, is helping fulfil a local demand for small units by new starters and flourishing small firms. Some will be used as warehouses and others for manufacture.

Oakwood is the first independent project by Steeton-based Onewood Group, building on its experience handling groundworks and civil engineering for other companies’ business parks.

Onewood managing director Tom Wood said Oakwood – due to officially open this month – would become his as he began looking at suitable sites in Skipton and Shipley for similar parks.

He said full occupancy marked a major turnaround after Covid-19 dealt a major blow to the project in the spring, just after he secured tenants for all the units for the first time.

Tom said: “All the tenants who signed up before the lockdown pulled out, but since we started trading again we have seen a big upturn in enquires which led to totally new tenants. The business park is now thriving.

“The fit-out works are still ongoing, and are being completed using local tradesmen. The units are all future-proofed, so we can let them a single units or joined together for larger companies.”

Mr Wood said at least four of the five tenant companies were family-run and were expanding: Absolute Cooling Tower Services Limited, CHB Engineering, Golden Acorn Roofing and Vanillaetc.

He added: “One of the companies’ area managers is Keighley born and bred. His father opened a similar business 30 years ago, and he is following in his footsteps.”

The units have been let by leading Keighley commercial agents Hayfield Robinson and Atkinson Associates, with Atkinson saying there had been “fantastic” demand for the units with enquiries from both local and regional companies, reflecting the strength of the Yorkshire industrial and logistics market despite Covid-19.

Ian Hayfield of Hayfield Robinson said: “In these challenging times it’s great to be involved in such a high-quality commercial scheme that brings with it new jobs and new companies.”