Lane End and Onward strike £66m Basford East deal

The developer has agreed a deal with Onward Homes to deliver 447 houses on a plot to the east of David Whitby Way, with the first phase due to get under way this year.

The site has outline permission for 490 homes, and Lane End, working with architect PRP and landscape architect Urban Green, has put forward initial designs to deliver nearly 450 houses on the Cheshire site, to be brought forward on a phased basis. The outline application also includes provision for a 22,000 sq ft primary school.

The initial planning permission was brought forward by the Co-operative Group, but Onward Homes has now struck a deal to purchase the freehold of the land, which is owned by Lane End, to bring forward a housing development.

Under the terms of the sale, Lane End will act as contractor to build out the site, starting with an initial phase of 22 homes. The majority of the homes at the site will be for outright sale with a 56 set aside for rent and shared ownership.

Work is expected to start at the end of this year, and will run until 2026. The site is to be accessed off David Whitby Way, which links to the A500.

The wider Basford East site includes provision for a further 325 houses, along with 110,000 sq ft of office and business space.

Muse and the Witter Trust secured planning permission for this part of the site in 2015, before selling 23.5 acres of land to Homes England last year.

This deal will allow Homes England to build out the housing element, while Muse will develop the commercial part of the site, which under the most recent planning permission from 2015, is also due to feature a 5,000 sq ft health centre, a 5,000 sq ft community centre, 25,000 sq ft of retail, and a 4,000 sq ft pub and restaurant.