Harworth Group has reported strong operational performance in the first half of 2025, despite a sluggish UK economy and challenges in the residential property sector. The company continues to make significant progress towards its long-term strategic goals, with a focus on developing sustainable industrial, logistics, and residential projects.

In the first half of 2025, Harworth made key acquisitions, adding 0.4 million sq ft of industrial space and 2,000 residential plots to its portfolio. This included taking full control of Gateway 45 in Leeds, a strategic site for future development. The company has also advanced its residential sales, completing 649 plots, with another 1,593 in the pipeline.

The company’s industrial and logistics (I&L) portfolio remains robust, with strong demand for 1.2 million sq ft of land and property, despite longer transaction timelines. Harworth’s commitment to developing high-quality sites is evident in its ongoing infrastructure projects, including 4.1 million sq ft of enabling works and infrastructure across 2025.

One of the key developments is Harworth’s new strategic partnership with the Church Commissioners for England to deliver a significant mixed-use project in West Yorkshire. The site will provide 1.2 million sq ft of employment space and 1,500 residential plots.

Despite macroeconomic pressures, Harworth’s land bank continues to grow. With a focus on I&L and residential sectors, the company is set to capitalise on key growth areas supported by government policy. The group is also investing in biodiversity solutions, with the launch of its first registered Biodiversity Gain Site, addressing upcoming legislation on biodiversity net gain.

Harworth remains on track to meet its goal of achieving £1bn in EPRA net disposal value (NDV) by 2027, and £0.9bn in its investment portfolio by 2029.

Xenia Estates has opened a new regional office in Bradford at The City Hub, as it continues to grow its presence across the UK. The Yorkshire office will be led by Xenia Estates’ new business development manager for Yorkshire, Michael Willans, a new member of the Xenia team joining from Scanlans, where he spent seven years in property management and business development. Michael Willans said: “This expansion represents an important step in our ongoing dedication to providing reliable property management services throughout Yorkshire. At Xenia Estates, we value the opportunity to foster strong connections within the local community and to extend our services across the region.” The new office, when at full capacity, will have brought five new jobs to the area. The opening of the new office coincides with the Yorkshire property market’s steady and promising growth in 2025. “The number of new properties coming to market in Yorkshire is 12% higher than the same period last year,” said Willans. “This is outpacing the national average. Buyer demand has also surged, with estate agent enquiries up by 10% and the number of sales agreed rising by 11% compared to the previous year.”

Scarborough Group International (SGI) has launched a new Sustainable Transport Plan at its mixed-use destination, Thorpe Park Leeds, setting out steps to reduce car dependency, enhance access by low-carbon travel, and support the site’s occupiers on their journey to Net Zero. The new five-year plan, developed in collaboration with TPS Transport Consultants, commits to reducing single-occupancy car travel by at least 10% by 2029, through a package of expanded services, infrastructure improvements, and collaborative initiatives with businesses across the park. Central to the plan is a major shift toward sustainable commuting, with active travel and public transport positioned as the preferred choices for the 7,500 people who work on-site. That shift will be accelerated by the proposed new Thorpe Park railway station, scheduled to open in 2027. Located within the development itself, the new station will provide direct rail access to Leeds city centre in under eight minutes, unlocking a much wider commuter catchment and making sustainable transport a more convenient option for thousands of employees and visitors. Adam Varley, development director at SGI, said: “Our sustainable transport vision for Thorpe Park Leeds extends to more than just a planning requirement. Over the last ten years we have invested heavily in upgrading the local infrastructure, providing a more efficient road network, creating new cycle routes and walkways, and supporting a regular bus service directly through the site. “These provisions have improved traveller choices with some 17% recently stating in response to a site-wide survey that they make sustainable travel choices when commuting to Thorpe Park Leeds, as an alternative to the car. The arrival of a new railway station on site, proposed to be operational in 2027, will most certainly provide an even more diverse range of sustainable travel choices for the communities of East Leeds, along with communities who make onward journeys into Leeds city centre and beyond. “Thorpe Park Leeds embodies a forward-thinking vision for a business destination, integrating efficient workspaces with vibrant retail and leisure amenities along with extensive public realm. Central to this is our strong commitment to sustainable practice where promoting active travel, public transport, and sustainable vehicle use are not just options, but the preferred choices for commuters.” The emphasis of the plan is on future change. Measures include targeted support to help occupiers develop bespoke Travel Plans, improve facilities for cyclists, implement EV infrastructure, and adopt car park management strategies. SGI’s ParkLife platform will continue to play a central role, offering free bike maintenance, corporate travel discounts, events and education, as well as access to a Bicycle User Group and journey planning support. The plan also includes robust monitoring, with annual travel surveys and KPIs to track changes in modal share and carbon emissions. Based on the 2024 travel survey, 68% of employees currently drive alone to work. However, factoring in hybrid working patterns, car use drops to just 37% on an average working day, with around 40% of the workforce already commuting by other means, including public transport, cycling, walking, or car sharing. John Hacker, director at TPS, said: “Since its establishment in 2000, Thorpe Park Leeds has successfully adopted and matured its sustainable travel plan, which is now deeply integrated into the operational ethos of the park. This latest version of that travel plan, taking us up to 2029, focuses on a collaborative framework involving both site-wide management and individual businesses working in tandem to promote and achieve a shared vision and objectives to achieving Net Zero. “Across the entire Park of around 7,500 employees, 4 in 10 people chose not to commute by car which is quite impressive for an out-of-town business park.”