BUILDING trade and DIY retailer Screwfix has taken a significant chunk of a former brewery and manufacturing site in Skipton.

Turner Developments has let a 7,400 square feet section of the former Copper Dragon Brewery and Norvap Engineering site on a long lease to the trade counter operator.

The outlet, on the Snaygill Industrial Estate, is one of Screwfix’s first new openings of 2020 and is creating 15 jobs.

James Turner of Ilkley-based Turner Developments said: “We understand that Screwfix has been looking for a trade counter outlet in Skipton for some time and we’re delighted that we’ve been able to help the company achieve a longstanding aim. In agreeing a 10 year lease, the company is demonstrating a long term commitment to the town.”

Simultaneous to this letting, Turners have sold a rear detached unit of 10,000 square feet to PV Dobson and Sons, a well established supplier of industrial, plant and agricultural machinery. The company currently has smaller premises elsewhere on the Snaygill estate as well as depots in Cumbria and Lancashire.

Andrew Dobson, of PV Dobson said: “We’ve been in Skipton since 2004 and we’ve been looking for somewhere which would let us to grow in the town. This new unit with its additional space will allow us to push the business forward.”

Turner Developments acquired the 1.5 acre Snaygill site in May 2019 after veterinary and medical supplies manufacturer, Norvap, fell into receivership.

A final unit, measuring 12,000 square feet, will shortly be available and would suit further trade counter operators or light industrial use. The joint agents are Atkinson Associates and Westlake and Co.

Mike Atkinson of Atkinson Associates said: “The vacant unit is a welcome addition to the limited supply of industrial space in Skipton - flexible industrial space, dedicated yard space and a large shared turning area. This is an excellent opportunity for a company to join two quality occupiers in Screwfix and P.V. Dobson and complete the scheme.”