Treadmills CGI

Source: Central Northallerton Development Company

The Treadmills development will incorporate five Grade II listed former prison buildings which are to be restored

Iceland is to open an 8,300 sq ft store in a former prison site as part of a regeneration scheme.

The frozen food specialist is the second major retailer to commit to opening on the former grounds of Northallerton Prison after Lidl, which is to occupy the biggest store on the site, at 21,000 sq ft.

The Iceland store will be on two storeys at the Treadmills development in the North Yorkshire town, with 6,000 sq ft on the ground floor and a further 2,300 sq ft at mezzanine level.

The Treadmills development will incorporate five Grade II listed former prison buildings which are to be restored. Along with a number of retail units, it’s set to include a four-screen cinema and is expected to create 250 jobs.

The £17m regeneration project will be carried out by the Central Northallerton Development Company, a joint venture between Hambleton District Council and Yorkshire property developer Wykeland Group. Building is to begin this summer.

Read more: One-stop shop: what does the alliance of Iceland and The Range offer?

Iceland opened its 940th store in February and continues to expand the estate rapidly. On 21 March it opened a further three in one day, in Huddersfield, Burnley and Leeds.

“We’re delighted to have secured Iceland as the latest leading brand to join Treadmills,” said Jonathan Stubbs, development director of Wykeland and a CNDC board member.

“This is another major boost for the development and paves the way for construction work to begin.

“We’re also fielding strong interest in other opportunities, including four restaurant units around the civic square that will form the centrepiece of the scheme.

“We will go out to tender in the next few weeks to identify a contractor to deliver the first phase of the development, with work due to begin on site this summer.”