CASE STUDY 35
66 one and two bedroom apartments, available to rent or buy, either fully or partly through the Older Persons Shared Ownership (OPSO) scheme. Amenities include communal areas featuring landscaped gardens and roof terrace, an onsite bistro, lounge, bar, private dining area, wellness suite, gym and exercise studio, and games room. A manager is onsite 24/7, and tailored domestic support and personal care are available.
THE DEVELOPMENT
Wheatley Place forms part of the wider regeneration of an area known as The Green – the former headquarters of automotive and aerospace manufacturer Lucas Industries (now part of engineering company ZF Group). With the company relocating to a new purpose-built complex at a nearby business park, the brownfield site was freed up for a range of new development possibilities, as Sam Brownhill, associate development director for McCarthy Stone explains. “The site forms the gateway into a wider mixed use regeneration development comprising residential and commercial uses,” he says. “The development being in close proximity to national infrastructure and a number of local services makes it an excellent location from a retirement community perspective, as well as from a
build and procurement point of view.” The site covers a total of 47 acres. McCarthy Stone partnered with M7 Real Estate, who were responsible for obtaining planning permission for the wider scheme, as well as undertaking the demolition of the existing office block, and creating the necessary infrastructure to service the site. The site has planning permission for a total of 330 dwellings including affordable housing, as well as McCarthy Stone’s retirement living development, a care home, and 100,000 ft2
of car dealerships.
The planning process for the development wasn’t smooth. Being the ‘gateway’ to the wider scheme, the local authority were particularly interested in the materials and overall quality of the design; to a higher level than on other projects. Brownhill says: “Given these challenges, an engaged and robust pre-app process was undertaken, discussing all elements of the design and key milestones during the pre-acquisition of the site which allowed both McCarthy Stone and the local planning authority to build a strong partnership to bring this scheme forward.”
The need for this partnership became evident, he adds, when (following some market research) McCarthy Stone wanted to amend certain details after planning
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
