'sustainable urban extension' at Telford

Work starts on design-build for England's biggest 'sustainable urban extension' site.

A development team comprising three of Britain's biggest house-building companies working in joint venture has been appointed to design and build one of England's largest new communities, at Telford in Shropshire.

George Wimpey UK, Persimmon Homes and Barratt Homes are taking on English Partnerships' biggest single project to date, the GBP500 million 'sustainable urban extension' at Lawley in the Borough of Telford and Wrekin.

The area under development as a new community is 70 hectares.

Its 3,300 dwellings will account for about one-fifth of the new homes needed at Telford over the next ten years.

The scheme will be a mixed development which English Partnerships believe will attract people from a wide range of incomes, ages and households.

Added significance is given to this award by the fact that the location from which the new Lawley will rise is either brownfield or previously developed land.

Also, the development will make use of new design codes pioneered by English Partnerships.

The codes provide a flexible framework for the designer, at the same time ensuring quality development.

Both the regeneration agency and the local authority have been fully involved in working up the proposals, to be put into effect under a 'robust commercial framework', suggesting an agreement on construction economics satisfactory to the developers.

Expressing their enthusiasm for the deal, English Partnerships executives say that Lawley will set national standards on how a large sustainable community can be designed, created and integrated with an existing town.

This award follows closely on the selection of Westbury Homes as preferred developer to build a 176 unit residential development on the 6.2 ha.

Park Lane site at Telford, again a mixed development.

Negotiations are continuing with Westbury; meanwhile a master plan is being drawn up with input from the local community.

This also is a brownfield site being redeveloped following demolition of some 350 deck access flats.

Strategy for land recovery.

A group of 22 developers has been named as part of a pilot programme to bring brownfield land back into productive use.

The pilots involve 14 local authorities across England in a joint initiative led by English Partnerships and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which has grown out of the national brownfield strategy aimed at recovering 64,000 ha of land for sustainable development.

Professor Paul Syms, English Partnerships national brownfield strategy director, commented that developers who had shown a strong commitment to the programme would now be playing a major role in transforming some of the country's worst eyesores.

The pilot areas represent a mix of urban and rural locations subject to various causes of dereliction.

The initial phases of the scheme are investigative, finding out what are the barriers to reclaiming derelict land and discovering ways in which it can be successfully regenerated.

In exchange for their input and expertise, panel members will be able to put forward development ideas for brownfield sites within each pilot area, bringing them forward for redevelopment in line with agreed plans.

This work originated from the Government's wish to see at least 60 per cent of new housing development on brownfield sites.

The target has in fact already been exceeded.

Research by English Partnerships has identified more than 1,500 long-term sites nationally that have lain vacant or derelict at least since 1993.

These sites, mostly in the North of England, and totalling some 12,800 ha, have resisted regeneration on a number of grounds, including contamination, market failure, cost and planning difficulties.

Additionally, there are some 4,000 sites classified as medium-term derelict, having lain unused from between 1993 and 1998.

These are on average about two hectares in size, making more than 8,000 ha in total.

The 14 pilot areas now subject to further investigation consist of hardcore derelict sites and previously developed land.

These studies are expected to reveal additional sites not so far captured in the local authority returns.

Selection of the developer panel was carried out through the European Union tender process.

Brownfield pilot programme developers.

National: AMEC Developments; Bellway Homes; British Land; David Taylor Partnership; George Wimpey; Gleeson Regeneration ; Kier Residential ; Places for People; Redrow; Taylor Woodrow Developments ; Urban Splash; Westbury Homes.

North: Countryside Northern; Keepmoat; St.James Securities; St.

Paul's; Wilson Bowden.

Midlands: Geoffrey Osborne; Keepmoat; LPC Living; Wilson Bowden.

South West: Crest Nicholson; Leadbitter; Rosemullion.

South East and London: Crest Nicholson; LPC Living; St.James Securities.

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