Step forward for flagship scheme after land acquisition deal

Vistry Group, operating through its partnership’s subsidiary, has signed a land acquisition deal with Nottinghamshire County Council that paves the way for approximately 800 homes.Situated approximately 2km north of Hucknall town centre and to the east of Annesley Road (A611), the development, granted outline planning permission in April 2021, is Nottinghamshire County Council’s flagship mixed-use scheme.Across an 86-acre site, it has outline planning consent for up to 805 homes, 21 acres of employment land for offices and warehousing, as well as retail within the local centre and a planned new primary school.The scheme will offer a mix of private sale, private rental, affordable rental and shared ownership homes, with a range of different house types and sizes.In addition to housing, the development will also include pedestrian and cycle routes, a primary school, and an on-site Skills Academy in partnership with Chameleon School of Construction.Andy Reynolds, managing director of Vistry Group’s partnerships division in the East Midlands, said: “Having worked with the council for several months, it’s exciting to finalise this deal that brings us a step closer to creating an exciting new place for people in the area to call home.”We look forward to working with the local community over the coming months to finalise our plans ahead of securing reserved matters planning consents that will enable us to start work on these high-quality new homes for Nottinghamshire.”Cabinet member for economic development and asset management, councillor Keith Girling, added: “This really is the best possible use for this County Council-owned land, which already has outline planning permission, as we look to create more quality, sustainable housing to meet the needs of our growing population.”These new homes will provide a place for families to create memories and help them build a future here.”Lucrative contract opportunities for local subcontractors will be another benefit of this development and I also look forward to the skills academy being on site. The Chameleon School of Construction, which has centres which include Pinxton and Ripley, is a real coup towards helping boost skills and job chances for local people.”Nottinghamshire County Council has worked with Savills since 2021 to bring forward the scheme. Savills handled the marketing and tender process through the Homes England procurement system.Ann Taylor, director of Savills development team in Nottingham, said: “This was a complex deal, not only due to the scale and value of the development, but also the need to ensure a flagship scheme will be delivered which meets the objectives of Nottinghamshire County Council and Homes England, whilst future proofing the safeguarded development land to the north, potential scope for future development land to the east, the planned school and local centre on site and the employment land to the west.”It has been a challenging transaction given these constraints, as well as a fluctuating market and economy throughout the transactional process, but this is such a substantial and relevant scheme for the area, it has remained the key focus for all involved.”