Property agency expands into commercial as Freeport fuels confidence in Goole

A property agency which has specialised in residential since it was first set up in Goole more than 40 years ago has expanded into commercial as the town prepares for the next wave of inward investment.

Link Agency is about to launch a development of apartments and commercial units which is the first substantial new build in the town centre since 2010. 

It is also working on other opportunities as interest in the East Yorkshire town increases on the back of big-name arrivals including Siemens Mobility, Croda and Metsä Tissue.

In addition, plans are well under way to raise Goole’s profile and drive further regeneration with a programme of improvements and activities to mark the town’s 200th anniversary in 2026.

Jake Findley, lettings manager at Link Agency, said: “It’s become clear during the last year that many of our residential clients also have commercial property portfolios and wanted someone who knows the local market to help them.

“On top of that we have the potential of businesses interested in moving into the area to service some of the major concerns which have brought large scale job creation to the west of the town. There is more investment on the way and the bicentennial will only raise Goole’s profile even more.

“From starting by offering new services to existing clients we want to get to the point this year where we are bringing in new business and being recognised for our contacts and expertise in commercial property as well as our residential work.”

Link Agency dates back to 1983 when the founder Wendy Mawson set it up after she was made redundant from her job as a machinist at the Burton tailoring factory in Goole.

Phil Jones, who grew up in Airmyn, just outside Goole, and had a background in finance and recruitment, bought the business in 2003. He moved it to Hull and opened an office in Beverley, making a series of acquisitions on the way, before going back to Goole.

Phil said: “In 2019 we were approached to sell our Hull and Beverley businesses and we decided to concentrate on Goole. It was helpful and tactical and strategic. It allowed us to focus our energies back into Goole at a time when it was looking like a good place to build the business.”

With a team of six, Link Agency now specialises in sales and lettings in the DN14 postcode area but it also operates across East Yorkshire with support from an experienced associate. 

Jake, who joined the business in 2023 after spending seven years working in property in West Yorkshire, reports strong interest in the Carlton Apartments site, which will provide 15 apartments and four commercial units and is due for completion later this month.

Jake said: “It’s a significant project because it’s a long time since there was any new build for commercial in the town centre.

“It’s 15 apartments and four commercial units. We’ve had enquiries from fitness, education and training, and retail, and one unit is already reserved. There’s a waiting list of people to view the apartments, which will be ready towards the end of March and are all modern and of a high standard, with an intercom, and parking at the rear.”

Link Agency will manage the full building which is at the junction of Boothferry Road and Jackson Street.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) announced this week that Invest East Yorkshire's inward investment team has reached the milestone of’ bringing in projects worth £1bn since 2020.

Key developments in the Goole area include the £200m Siemens Mobility manufacturing facility in Goole and the Metsä Tissue factory, which will be the first major development on the Humber Freeport - Goole Tax site with plans submitted in January for a facility covering occupying around 200 acres and creating more than 400 jobs.

But in the town centre the retail Asda Supermarket and adjacent retail units in Wesley Square date back to the mid-1990s and the Morrisons store on the site of the former Timms Mill opened in 2010.

Jake said: “When you look at the growth of Goole and the scale of investment coming in it’s clear that now is a good time to expand what we do, and the Carlton project is a good place to start. There’s a lot going on in Goole and this gives you a shop front on the high street. We think it’s a unique opportunity and the interest we’ve had so far is very promising.”