A housing association that makes customisable, modular homes has been brought in to work on plans for 622 properties in the grounds of the Boots headquarters in Beeston, Notts.
Developer ilke Homes has been appointed by the high street chemist to plot out the homes on its enterprise zone site.
It is the first time Boots has released land for housing at its HQ and it could see up to 505 houses and 117 apartments put up. It could become the biggest low-rise modular housing development in the UK.
A detailed planning application is due to be submitted soon – and, subject to planning consent, the proposed scheme will become ilke Homes’ flagship site.
It was founded three years ago and is one of the UK’s largest housing associations. The properties would be pre-fabricated at its headquarters in Knaresborough, North Yorks.
Mark Chivers, director of estates for Boots UK, said: “We are delighted to partner with ilke Homes to develop this site to provide high-quality, affordable and energy-efficient housing for people in the local area.
“Because of the historical significance of this site, and everything it represents in terms of our company heritage, it was vital that we find the right partner.
“I am pleased that the site will be put to good use and look forward to seeing a thriving community emerge there in the coming years.”
The team at ilke Homes will work with its architects HTA Design to design the ‘model village’.
Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: “This site represents a truly special opportunity to create a unique and sustainable housing development within the established Nottingham conurbations.
“The site is steeped in rich heritage and has been a central part of Boots’ success story over the last few decades, so we are incredibly excited for the opportunity to work alongside Boots, HTA Design, and the local stakeholders at both Broxtowe Borough and Nottingham City Councils to truly transform this redundant industrial space into a well-designed new community and provide better homes in a better way.”
The site has been allocated for residential development since 2014, and is part of a wider 286-acre Nottingham Enterprise Zone – a designation which Boots gained in 2011.
The development is expected to be designed to maintain the existing campus feel and fit in with the surrounding area, including the Beeston canal.
The deal to unlock the 43-acre site for housing was brokered by Blackstar Advisory.
Tim Garratt, chief executive of Blackstar Advisory, added: “This is probably one of the most important and strategically significant residential land deals in a generation for Nottingham.
It was clear from the outset of the project that the client wanted something away from the ordinary, not an estate of little boxes. We worked very hard with Ilke Homes and their architects to get a solution which satisfies the positive legacy we wanted.”
All 505 homes will have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least a ‘B’, making them more energy-efficient than 92 percent of all new-builds in the UK.
ilke Homes will manage the entire development process – from securing the land deal, and obtaining gaining planning permission, through to developing the site and delivering the homes.
