Warwickshire County Council and its property company Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG) have formed a joint venture with Countryside Partnerships to build 2,000 homes across the county.
The joint venture, called Develop Warwickshire, will work to bring sites forward developments worth £2.5bn over the next 30 years, they say, with three being taken forward for development within the next 12 months.
The first three sites to be brought forward are in Nuneaton, Warton and Water Orton, which are all allocated in local plans or have achieved planning consent.
Top Farm at Nuneaton has outline consent for 1,700 homes and will include a local centre; public consultation begins next month on the development of 54 homes in Water Orton; while a reserved matters application has been submitted to North Warwickshire Borough Council to build 71 homes at Warton and is awaiting determination.
Councillor Peter Butlin, deputy leader of Warwickshire County Council and portfolio holder for finance and property, said: “This partnership is key to our ambition to make the most of the county’s assets for the benefit of local people and local communities. Unlocking our sites to create sustainable, high-quality homes and communities is a key ambition for the council and Develop Warwickshire will play a major role in this.
“Working with Countryside Partnerships over a longer period enables us to take a more strategic approach and to maximise investment and efficiency in delivering developments which make our county an even more attractive place to live and do business.
“We went through an 18-month procurement exercise to ensure we attracted a partner with the same ambitions and objectives. Homes created by Develop Warwickshire will be timber-framed and will include features such as solar panels, putting sustainability at the heart of these sites.”
Countryside Partnerships chief executive Stephen Teagle said: “This new joint venture with Warwickshire County Council enables us to deliver high-quality, mixed-tenure homes at scale across the region. By combining the skills of our group with the council’s ambitions to unlock and regenerate its own land assets, we can deliver true regeneration and maximise the benefits for local communities.
Countryside Partnerships is part of Vistry Group, having been taken over for £1.25bn last month.
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