Greenfield housing site sold for £38 million

Work on a new 327-home development site on the borders of Bradley Stoke and Stoke Gifford is now expected to start this summer following a £38 million land deal between two major housebuilding firms.

The site, which is being marketed under the name ‘Mulgrove Farm Village’, lies south of the Winterbourne Road (i.e. on the opposite side to the Winter Stream Farm pub restaurant) and north of the main railway line.

It forms part of the planned East of Harry Stoke New Neighbourhood where a total of 2,000 homes are to be built over the next eight or more years.

Given that the land consists of a domed-shaped hill, extensive earthworks are required to create a level plateau to enable development. These earthworks comprise levelling the site at its highest point and infilling areas on the lower slopes, with no plans to take material off site. This will involve the excavation and relocation of 250,000 cubic metres of material.

The south-eastern part of the site, around the now demolished Mulgrove Farm, is in the ownership of South Gloucestershire Council (SGC). The remainder was previously in the ownership of housebuilder Crest Nicholson but has now been acquired by Wainhomes Severn Valley.

In November 2018, Crest Nicholson secured full permission for a site-wide earthworks strategy and the construction of 150 homes on its part of the site. Outline permission was also granted for 177 homes on the council-owned land, along with a primary school and nursery.

Access to the new development will be from a new arm off Parkway North Roundabout in the west, and via a new junction on Old Gloucester Road, 90m south of its junction with Winterbourne Road in the east.

During the first phase of the project, Wainhomes Severn Valley will build 150 properties – 116 for private sale and through a registered housing provider, a further nine for shared ownership and 25 for affordable rent.

Site preparation will begin in the summer and building will commence following completion of a 12-month earthworks programme. The first homes are expected to be completed early in 2022.

The four-year project will see the council receive £2.2m from the developer, to be used for community projects, along with a New Homes Bonus from the government of around £2.6m.

Wainhomes and SGC are bound by a collaborative agreement to deliver the main infrastructure, services, public open space and green infrastructure for the overall site.

Carl Haley, managing director at Wainhomes, said:

“As an established developer in the Severn Valley we are delighted to have acquired this site and to be partnering with South Gloucestershire Council to deliver new, high quality homes for the region.”

“This further demonstrates our commitment to invest here, provide homes of various tenures and support the creation of jobs and training for local people.”

Wainhomes Severn Valley, which has its head office in north Bradley Stoke, has planning permission in place for over 440 homes on five other sites in the region, including 98 homes at Blenheim Heights in Charlton Hayes.

The Journal understands that Wainhomes intends to submit a further planning application to amend the house types on its part of the site to bring them in line with its own designs.

The timeframe for submitting a full planning application for the part of the site currently owned by SGC is unclear at present.

Photos: 1 Wainhomes ‘Land acquired’ sign on the corner of Winterbourne Road and Old Gloucester Road. 2 Field gate with the sign ‘Mulgrove Farm’ attached (off Old Gloucester Road).

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