THE first phase of a £17 million regeneration project at an old prison site has opened to the public, providing a timely boost to the local community.

Supermarket group Lidl – the retail anchor for the Treadmill site – and frozen food specialist Iceland have both opened, with a third 1,300 sq ft store unit available for occupation. The three units benefit from a 126-space car park.

The project in Northallerton is being driven forward by Central Northallerton Development Company Ltd (CNDCL), a joint venture between Hambleton District Council and leading Yorkshire developer Wykeland Group.

The plot was the formerly derelict site of Northallerton Prison, which closed in 2013 after housing inmates for 230 years.

The second phase of the scheme, in the central part of the site, is well advanced and involves extensive redevelopment of the five Grade II listed prison buildings.

The former main cell block and the female wing will house the 7,000 sq ft Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) Northallerton, creating a new community of tech specialists.

A plan to open an Everyman cinema at the site, like the one in Blossom Street in York, remains part of the scheme and will be developed as a later phase.

Dominic Gibbons, Wykeland Managing Director and a CNDCL Board member, said: “We’re excited to see this major regeneration project bring this landmark site back to life.

“The opening of the first phase of the development, focused on retail, adds greatly to the choice available to shoppers in Northallerton and there is much more to come as we transform the former prison buildings.”

Jonathan Stubbs, Wykeland Developer Director and CNDCL Board member, added: “The next phase is due for completion in March, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

"This will blend old and new – the conservation and restoration of historic buildings and the creation of hi-tech jobs with innovative digital businesses.

“These new facilities and the jobs they will create have never been more important and will be crucial to the economic development and future prosperity of Northallerton.”

C4DI Northallerton will have a specific focus on agritech – the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture and food processing – to help these sectors to develop and grow.

The Treadmills project is being supported by the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, which has secured £1.8 million from the Government’s Local Growth Fund for the redevelopment and fit-out of the buildings that will be occupied by C4DI and other office users.