Anwyl gets cracking on Unilever R&D site redevelopment

Work has begun clearing the nearly nine-acre site in Bebington to make way for 127 homes, with the Flintshire-based housebuilder aiming to launch sales by summer 2025.

The news comes two years after plans for the plot were submitted by Anwyl Homes to Wirral Council. Planning permission was granted in June, with Anwyl agreeing to contribute £677,000 towards supporting the community through improvements to public open space, leisure facilities, and traffic infrastructure.

Clearance contractor Urban Regen is currently on site handling enabling works. This includes demolishing a 230,000 sq ft office and lab facility formerly belonging to Unilever’s Port Sunlight R&D complex.

Anwyl has now officially taken ownership of the land, which sits adjacent to Quarry Road East and St Andrew’s Road. Unilever was represented by Cushman and Wakefield on the deal.

The future neighbourhood is to be christened Lottie Gardens, after five-time Wimbledon tennis champion, Olympic silver-medal-winning archer, and national golf champion Lottie Dod. Dod grew up in Bebington, reaching fame in the late 1800s for her athletic prowess.

Each of the 127 homes will have its own private garden and off-road parking. The homes themselves will have between one and four bedrooms. Of the 127, 25 are to be designated affordable.

“We’re excited to bring forward this brownfield site for redevelopment to provide much-needed market and affordable homes in a sustainable location,” said Anwyl chief operating officer Phil Dolan.

He continued: “We’ve carefully designed our homes to ensure they are in keeping with the character of the surrounding community, while boasting high levels of energy efficiency, with top specification insulation and solar panels.

“We’ll also be retaining the woodland on site and creating a new footpath link to St Andrews Road.”

Lottie Gardens marks Anwyl’s first foray into Wirral. Elsewhere in the North West and North Wales, the housebuilder is looking to construct 153 homes in Warrington, 152 in Penrhyn Bay, and 65 in Chorlton.

The project team for Lottie Gardens included Avison Young MK Associates, E3P, Redmore Environmental, Hydrock (now Stantec) Ascerta, TPM Landscape, Focus Transport Planning, and Waterco in its planning phase. You can see those plans by searching reference number APP/22/01759 on Wirral Council’s planning portal.