Latest news with #Harworth
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stewartby brickworks redevelopment site evolving
The company behind the redevelopment of a site that was once home to the world's largest brickworks is asking people to give their thoughts on its "evolving plans". The former Stewartby brickworks in Bedfordshire has outline planning consent for 1,000 new homes, a school and community 130-acre (about 50-hectare) site is about six miles (10km) from Bedford town centre and close to land where Universal are planning on building its first theme park in Europe. A community day is taking place at Stewartby Village Hall from 12:00 until 16:00 BST. Property developers Harworth purchased the land in September 2024 from Heidelberg Materials, previously known as Hanson one time there were 167 chimneys on the land, but in September 2021 the last four were demolished. Harworth said the site, which has "unique historical significance", was "set to become a vibrant and sustainable new neighbourhood south of Bedford". Outline planning permission has been in place since 2021, but the company said it needed to make said it would still build homes, a community hub, new employment spaces, and places to meet and play. The company has not responded to what the revisions might said it was looking to "reflect the rich heritage of the site across the development, so that the importance of the brickworks can be recognised into the future". "We would like to know your thoughts to help us evolve our proposals for the former Stewartby brickworks site," the company plans go ahead, building work could begin in the summer of 2027, with the first people set to move in by early 2028. Brickmaking at Stewartby Brickmaking in the area began when John Cathles Hill, a housebuilder, bought various small local companies, which became the London Brick Company (LBC) in 1900In 1926, the LBC began to build a garden village for its employees at Wootton PillingeThe Wootton Pillinge LBC village was renamed Stewartby in 1936, after the Stewart family, directors of the LBCIn the same year, Stewartby was recognised as the largest brickworks in the world, employing 2,000 people and producing 500 million bricks a yearFour of the original chimneys remained on the site, standing up to 70m (230ft) tall, until 26 September 2021 Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
04-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Green belt Nimbys are ruining young people's lives, warns developer
Green belt Nimbys are wrecking the lives of young people by blocking developments that create much-needed jobs, one of Britain's biggest developers has warned. Lynda Shillaw, chief executive of FTSE 250 group Harworth Group, said objection to construction projects on green belt land was stopping the creation of local opportunities for younger generations. Ms Shillaw told The Telegraph: 'The biggest voting generation today went through the closure of pits and people not having jobs for 40 years – but now they're more bothered about whether that field there is going to be built on. That stops development. '[We're] looking at a whole generation of young people whose life chances are significantly diminished, because we can't bring jobs or skills to an area that needs it. 'I grew up in a Yorkshire mining village, so this really resonates with me. It's not just about their economic wellbeing their ability to earn, learn a trade or a profession and progress. It's about their health outcomes, which are much worse as well. 'So actually, we've got to get over having a relative minority blocking stuff that's for the greater good.' Her views echo Sir Keir Starmer, who has vowed to 'push past Nimbyism' to unlock major development projects. The Prime Minister's planning reforms have redesignated large swathes of green belt land as 'grey belt' areas – making it easier to build homes on. The green belt was introduced in 1947 to contain post-war urban sprawl but it has since grown to cover nearly 13pc of all land in England. Harworth owns 14,000 acres of land across Britain and recently sold land to Mike Ashley's Frasers Group for its global headquarters on the green belt in Warwickshire. Its housing projects include turning a former coal mining site in Yorkshire into a 3,890-home neighbourhood called Waverley. Government policy over the past two decades has focused on developing 'brownfield' land, the term used for used land that has been left derelict and can be redeveloped. However, Ms Shillaw said the policy meant there was 'simply not enough' brownfield land in Britain to build on. 'It feels wrong that something that happened post-war has not been repeatedly revised in terms of what [the Government] needs to deliver its industrial strategy. 'The battle over the green belt is a challenge, but it's also a total red herring, because if you want growth, you need to look at where the best places are to spend your pounds.'
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Waverley: New high street close to completion say developers
People on Rotherham's largest modern housing development will soon be able to use a new high street, developers have Lane, the name of the new street in Waverley, runs alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre of the University of Waverley development, on the site of the former Orgreave Colliery, has seen 1,700 homes built in the past decade, with a total of 3,000 expected eventually.A health centre, a nursery and a vets are due to open on Olive Lane from March 2025, with cafés, restaurants or bars and a convenience food store also in the pipeline, said developer Harworth. Welcoming the news, resident Amy Weston said that, apart from a school and a park, there had so far been little else in terms of facilities for such a large development. "I think it will be really well used," she said."There'll be a nursery, a medical centre and a coffee shop, and an Indian restaurant which we're excited about, because then we can eat and drink and walk home, which'll be lovely."Another resident, Loretta Sneath, said she was looking forward to the opening of the retail area and other services "especially with the medical centre for people that live in the estate". "We've got no facilities at the moment, a lot of people have been waiting for something like this since the estate began 10 years or so ago." Harworth senior manager Peter Massie said: "Harworth has focused on creating a vibrant place that meets the needs of those living and working at Waverley. "It will be great to see the high street come to life over the next few months, and for the community to start using the new amenities."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
