Sawmill Business Park
A disused sawmill beside the East Coast Main Line, taken through change-of-use planning and refitted as ten workshop and industrial units.
The site
The site began as a station goods yard on the Great Northern main line in the 1850s and became a sawmill after the station closed. By the time we took it on, the timber operation had wound down and the sheds were empty, open-fronted and tired.
It had a lot going for it: direct road access, a short run to the A1 and solid block-built sheds. It also had constraints. It adjoins Network Rail land, sits in open countryside and has neighbours who care about traffic and noise.
Planning
We applied for change of use of the former sawmill to mixed commercial use. The application drew strong objection and took time, but permission was granted in 2025 for ten workshop and industrial units, with a site management plan, set operating hours and limits on how the site is used. We built those conditions into the way we run it.
The refit
