Case Studies

East Staffordshire Regeneration Programme

24 Oct 2017

Summary

Organisation: East Staffordshire Borough Council

Location: Burton upon Trent and Uttoxeter

Project: East Staffordshire Regeneration Programme

Value of Funding: £1.5million of Local Growth Funding

Value of Project: £5.79million

There is no question that the funding support from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP has played a big part in helping to bring these three sites forward and support their release for private development. Without this programme of infrastructure works, which was made possible thanks to GBSLEP funding, the sites remained unviable for developers. Now, we are close to securing significant investment which will drive the continued growth of the economy in East Staffordshire.

Councillor Patricia Ackroyd, Deputy Leader for Enterprise, East Staffordshire Borough Council
When East Staffordshire Borough Council announced a major programme of infrastructure works to transform three brownfield sites in its region, the Bargates, Dove Way and Pennycroft Lane sites, it was seen as a major step forward in its East Staffordshire Regeneration Programme.

The sites were previously financially unviable for any private developer to bring forward, but with funding support from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP (GBSLEP), this project has released £5million of dormant capital invested in land assets.

All three sites are now undergoing sales and planning processes, which will see the development of more than 10,000 sq m of office space, up to 250 new homes and 500 new jobs in key urban locations within East Staffordshire.

The opportunity

When East Staffordshire Borough Council published its Local Plan (2012 – 2031), it noted the challenge of reusing brownfield sites to “ensure the efficient use of land and lift environmental quality.”

This is an area of proud industrial and manufacturing heritage, epitomised by the UK’s brewing capital of Burton upon Trent, but as the economic landscape changed over time, it led to a number of disused brownfield sites, often ignored because of challenging and costly remediation requirements.

Between July 2015 and October 2016 the East Staffordshire Regeneration Project set out to ensure the successful delivery of three such sites; Bargates, a seven acre site at the gateway to Burton with the potential for 200 new homes; Dove Way, a 9.6 acre site to the north of Uttoxeter town centre; and Pennycroft Lane, a 3.5 acre site in Uttoxeter, which was home to a waste and recycling centre, waste services depot and small industrial units.

Located in key urban areas within the district, all three sites had potential for development, but due to the significant remediation works and infrastructure improvements required, they remained unviable for any private developer to bring any potential schemes forward.

East Staffordshire Borough Council knew that a programme of infrastructure works could help to release £5m of dormant capital invested in land assets and support the continued regeneration of the area.

Delivery

The Borough Council developed a package of works which helped to overcome the constraints of each individual site and subsequently enabled schemes which will transform these key strategic sites.

With a total project cost of £5.79million, including £1.5million of funding from the GBSLEP, the works included:

  • Demolition and significant remediation works at the Pennycroft Lane site
  • A new access road and service infrastructure into the Pennycroft Lane site
  • A new access road and service infrastructure into the Dove Way site
  • The securing of planning permission for both sites and discharge of pre-commencement conditions
Upon completion of the works, all three sites were made available for sale, with proposals set to deliver 10,568 sq m of offices, up to 250 new homes (including 10% affordable housing) and 500 new jobs across the three locations by 2019/20. Subject to planning consent, this could include:
  • A mixed-use development including retirement living, shops and a restaurant/café at the Bargates site in Burton upon Trent
  • 10,568 sq m of commercial floor space with the potential to create up to 500 jobs at Dove Way, Uttoxeter
  • 49 residential dwellings at the Pennycroft Lane site, which forms a natural extension to the residential area of Uttoxeter town centre. Crucially, the capital raised from the sale of these sites will be reinvested into other and future regeneration schemes to support the continued growth of the East Staffordshire area.
Why does this matter? 
  • The infrastructure works will enable the development of three key brownfield sites and release £5million of dormant capital invested in land asset
  • Over 10,000 sq m of office space, up to 250 new homes and 500 new jobs are set to be created
  • The financial return from the sale of these sites can then be reinvested into other and future regeneration schemes within East Staffordshire
These are key, strategic brownfield sites, ideally located to support the growth of East Staffordshire’s urban areas. However, we were aware that there were a number of challenges that had to be overcome before any development could proceed. Now, thanks to the funding support from the GBSLEP, we have been able to unlock their potential, work with the private sector to bring viable schemes to fruition and release dormant capital which can be used to support other and future regeneration in the area.

Councillor Patricia Ackroyd, Deputy Leader for Enterprise, East Staffordshire Borough Council

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