St Modwen Properties : . MODWEN’S £100M REGENERATION PLANS FOR WOLVERTON...

18th November 2016

Milton Keynes planning committee votes to approve outline planning application

St. Modwen, the UK's leading regeneration specialist, last night (17 November) received a green light from Milton Keynes Council's planning committee for its £100m Wolverton Works regeneration plans. The plans will support hundreds of current and future rail-related jobs for the town and deliver much-needed new homes and community facilities for Wolverton.

The positive decision follows the committee's approval in September 2016 of a Lidl store, an early phase of St. Modwen's wider masterplan, to the east of the site. Construction for the foodstore, to be built on a disused part of the Works and creating up to 40 new jobs, will begin in spring 2017.

Key features of the regeneration plans for Wolverton Works, approved last night, are:

• Jobs: Provision of business space for Knorr-Bremse RailServices Ltd, protected for future rail-related employment use only
• Supporting small businesses: New business space providing premises for small/ medium size businesses and start-ups
• Homes for all: Up to 375 new homes - a mix for all ages, family sizes, needs and pockets
• Funding for social infrastructure: contribution of c.£4m towards vital services of which £3m is allocated to education
• Heritage value: Opening up what is currently a closed site, existing buildings' facade retention and heritage features throughout public spaces
• New community space: The potential to create a railway heritage centre - St. Modwen is discussing opportunities with Milton Keynes Museum
• New open spaces: Provision of a new public square and multiple landscaped spaces equivalent, in total, to the size of 2 football pitches
• Architectural identity: Use of a 'Design Guide' to ensure new buildings reflect the Conservation Area with pitched roofs, use of brick, terrace housing and other key features
• Ecology: Enhanced nature conservation and biodiversity where there is currently concrete across the site
• War memorial: Publically accessible space allocated for a memorial
• Grand Union Canal: New public footpath running parallel to the canal

Gary Morris, Senior Development Manager at St. Modwen said: 'We have worked closely with Milton Keynes Council, local stakeholders and the Wolverton community to develop a sensitive design for the Works. Not only will these plans enhance the unique identity of the town and reflect its much-loved railway heritage, but they will also encourage further economic growth and regeneration for the town.'

Further planning applications will be brought forward in due course, to determine the exact designs of the new buildings. - ENDS -

Notes to Editors:

Why regenerate

Wolverton Works supports over 300 local jobs and it is important to Wolverton that these and future jobs are protected. This can only be achieved through the delivery of new, fit-for-purpose commercial premises.

Thanks to more efficient modern business practises it is currently estimated that only half of the site is required for modern business operations. This means that, as well as preserving the heritage of the site by protecting railway-related jobs, the redeveloped site would also be able to provide much-needed new homes for Wolverton as well as a discount food store.

Planning background

Following extensive public consultation, the outline planning application for the whole of the Works was submitted by St. Modwen in August 2015. St. Modwen then appointed Purcell, one of the UK's leading architectural practices with a dedicated focus on heritage, to assess ways in which the submitted plans might better reflect the existing layout and the heritage of the site. To conclude the design review, in July 2016 St. Modwen consulted local people on the revised plans at a special exhibition that 150 people attended. Feedback received demonstrated that some 81% of respondents 'strongly supported' or 'supported' the updated plans.

Further planning applications

With the outline planning application now approved by councillors, the next stage will be the preparation of further planning applications, supported by public consultation, to determine the exact designs of the new buildings. No buildings can be demolished until plans for replacement buildings have been presented, consulted upon and approved.

Phasing

The development as a whole will be delivered in phases to allow Knorr-Bremse, the current rail business on site, to continue to operate. Following phase one foodstore, phase two will see Knorr Bremse move to the west of the site so new premises can be delivered for them next to the railway line which enters the site in the east. The final phase will be new homes, the community/ heritage centre and public spaces on the west part of the site in around 3-5 years' time. Phases two and three will require detailed planning consent to allow work to begin.