Conservationists say Boots HQ site ‘ideal’ for housing development
News PLANS FOR 622 MODULAR HOMES ARE ‘GOOD USE OF BROWNFIELD’
CONSERVATIONISTS have welcomed plans for a vast new modular housing development at the site of Nottignham’s Boots headquarters.
The high street pharmacy giant has appointed Ilke Homes to lead the proposed multi-million-pound redevelopment of its Enterprise Zone site.
The developer has now put forward its plan for the site in Thane Road, Beeston, where officials hope 622 homes can be sited.
Beeston and District Civic Society has welcomed the submission of the plans.
Acting chair Caroline Penn said: “It’s an ideal site – it’s a good use of brownfield.”
It is the first time that Boots has released land for housing development at its headquarters.
All the houses will be manufactured on roduction lines at Ilke Homes’ factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.
The idea is to create the biggest low-rise modular housing development in the UK.
Boots directors have previously spoken of their hopes of creating “high-quality, affordable and energy-efficient housing for people in the local area”.
Ms Penn said: “Modular housing is green – one hopes it’s a green form of construction – and affordable homes are desperately needed.”
A total of 505 houses and 117 flats are proposed for the development.
All the houses will be modular, and constructed by Ilke, but the apartment blocks will be built in a traditional manner.
A statement submitted in the planning application for the site states: “The Residential Quarter will be designed as a new green and distinctive place to live by the edge of Beeston canal.
“The health and wellbeing legacy from Boots will be reinterpreted to deliver healthy lifestyle opportunities, and the local heritage will be referenced to create place identities, character and cohesion.”
The development site is to the south and southwest of the existing Alliance Boots campus, facing the canal.
Various operations including manufacturing and distribution take place on the site.
The land where the homes are planned falls under the boundaries of both Nottingham City Council and Broxtowe Borough Council.
The plans have been submitted to the city council.
Mark Chivers, director of estates at Boots UK, said: “As one of the largest and longest-standing businesses operating in the region, we know that we have an important civic role to play.
“Responsible and thoughtful estate management and planning is an important part of that role, which is why we took the time to carefully select a development partner that we believe can deliver a sustainable housing scheme that benefits local people.”
A spokesman for Ilke Homes said: “We’ve successfully submitted a planning application for 622 homes on a 43-acre site that sits in close proximity to Boots’ UK headquarters in Beeston.
“Subject to planning permission, work will commence on site in summer 2022. Once completed, the development will provide muchneeded housing to the community of Beeston.”
The site has been allocated for residential development since 2014.
t is also part of the wider 286-acre Nottingham Enterprise Zone.
Enterprise Zones are awarded by the Government and are areas where businesses are given incentives, such as minimal rates, to base themselves. Boots was awarded its Enterprise Zone status in 2011.
By using precision-engineering techniques and digital design, all 505 homes will have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least a “B”, making them more energy-efficient than 92 percent of all new-builds in the UK.