TWO Lancashire
MPs have praised the vision and commitment that has gone
into bringing one of the biggest mixed-use ventures in the
North West to life.
The
MP for Chorley, Lindsay Hoyle, and the MP for South Ribble,
David Borrow, were speaking at the successful launch of
Matrix Park – a joint venture between Redrow and
Barratt to create a pioneering business development that
is part of their £400 million Buckshaw Village.
Located
between Leyland and Chorley, on the former Royal Ordnance
Factory site, Buckshaw Village spans some 395 acres and
will take 10 to 15 years to complete. As well as the 80-acre
commercial development that is Matrix Park, Buckshaw Village
will provide about 2,000 homes, a school, shops, community
facilities, sports pitches, landscaped open areas and
even a planned railway station.
Lindsay
was so determined to jointly open this important business
development with David that he defied doctor’s orders
following a knee operation to be at the recent event.
Lindsay
said: “David and myself have worked and campaigned
with many people over many years to see the redevelopment
of the Royal Ordnance Factory land, so to come to the
launch today and see the progress that is being made is
tremendous.
“After
the area suffered a massive down turn in manufacturing
in the 1980s and the closure of large parts of the Royal
Ordnance Factory during the early 1990s it’s excellent
to have the jobs coming back to Chorley and South Ribble.
“Buckshaw
Village and its commercial development, Matrix Park, is
an incredible asset to the region with new jobs and new
homes that will build on our economic development for
the future. I will be watching Buckshaw Village’s
growth over the next 10 to 15 years with great interest.”
David
said: “Buckshaw Village is the most important re-development
site in the north west of England and when completed will
provide around 2,000 new homes and in the region of 5,000
permanent jobs.
“Re-using
hundreds of acres of former industrial land is just what
the government wants to see and will reduce the pressure
to build on green field sites in South Ribble and Chorley.
“I
know from my own contact with companies that there is
a lot of interest in moving to Matrix Park at Buckshaw
Village. By allowing local firms to expand and attracting
firms from outside the area Buckshaw Village will underpin
the success of the local economy.”
Redrow
Commercial Developments and Barratt Commercial created
Matrix Park to provide accommodation for companies seeking
new production and warehouse facilities, together with
prestigious offices in the heart of Lancashire.
More…
Simon Isherwood, managing director of Redrow Commercial
Developments, said: “Redrow and Barratt worked closely
with former landowner BAE SYSTEMS, Chorley and South Ribble
Borough Councils and other statutory groups, to make this
development a reality. The launch generated a significant
number of new enquiries from local and national companies.”
David
Broadhead of Barratt Commercial said: “The launch
was a great success and provided companies with the chance
to see and experience the scale and high quality working
environment of Matrix Park, along with its tremendous
communication links with immediate access to the M6 and
M61.”
Commercial
agents for Matrix Park are Manchester based King Sturge,
tel: 0161 236 8793, and DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, tel: 0161
236 9595.
For
further details of Barratt new homes at Buckshaw Village
call 01772 436 727 or visit www.barratthomes.co.uk; for
Redrow information, call 01772 432 006 or visit www.redrow.co.uk.
Further background is available at www.buckshawvillage.co.uk.
Issued for Redrow Homes (Lancashire) by Active PR.
EXCITEMENT BUILDS AT BUCKSHAW VILLAGE
28/04/03
REDROW
PRESS RELEASE 28th April 2003
REDROW’S
newest housing development lived up to expectations
when hundreds of visitors beat a path to the doors
of Worden Brook Hall at Buckshaw Village, near Chorley.
They
turned up in their droves to catch a first glimpse
of what’s to be built on the site of the former
Royal Ordnance Factory at Euxton.
Well
over 300 potential customers visited Redrow’s
new marketing suite during the opening weekend and
even the fact that the first brick has yet to be
laid did not deter people from paying their reservation
fee to secure a brand new home.
Christine
Aitken, sales director for Redrow Homes (Lancashire),
said: “It was incredible. We had a queue forming
a good couple of hours before the doors were due
to open. We had five sales staff dealing with initial
enquiries and sold four properties in the very first
hour. At one point they were worried they might
sell the same house to two different people!
“Sales
are already into double figures and many more people
have registered for Redrow Mastermove, which helps
would-be customers with an existing property still
to sell.”
Worden
Brook Hall features three and four-bedroom detached
homes with elevations that reflect the architecture
of a 1920s’ street scene. Current prices are
from £143,950 to £248,950.
Jointly
with Barratt, it’s the first phase of a massive
regeneration project that is transforming the 395-acre
site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory to include
everything from two-bedroom apartments to large
detached family homes, plus a business park, shops,
school and wide range of community and sports facilities.
Among
the people keen to make Buckshaw Village their home
is Philip Wallbank, who was one of the first people
to sign on the dotted line. The retired water industry
engineer has returned to his Lancashire roots after
10 years in the North East. He’s bought a
three-bedroom detached home from Redrow and hopes
to be moved in before the end of the year.
Philip
said: “Since retiring I’ve been living
with my elderly mother in Euxton while I look for
a new home locally. I wanted something close to
her and also my daughter in Leyland.
“Buckshaw
Village is such an exciting project. I’ve
been reading about it as much as possible over the
past year and registered my interest over the Internet
to make sure I’d know as soon as the first
properties were available.
“I
grew up locally so remember the old factory site.
It’s wonderful to think that an industrial
wasteland is going to be transformed into something
rather special with homes, landscaping, cycle paths,
shops and lots of other amenities. I’m thrilled
to be part of it.”
The
Worden Brook Hall marketing suite is open daily
from 10am to 5.30pm or call 01772 432 006 for further
details. Sales information is available online at
www.redrow.co.uk,
while background to Buckshaw Village can be found
at www.buckshawvillage.co.uk
Late
News
22/04/03
By
chance we were today furnished with
a press release that many readers will
be interested in. It relates to sales
at the Worden Brook Hall at Buckshaw
Village opening - A Momentous Moment
- so momentous no one at Redrow thought
to let us know! Let's all hope that
Redrow value the community they are
currently creating more than they do
the community website!
Anyway,
the 9th April Redrow press release.......
A
MOMENTOUS MOMENT
WHAT
were you doing when the moment
finally came for people to become
part of one of Lancashire’s
most ambitious ventures?
After
all the preparation, hard work,
and headlines, this Easter weekend
sees the hugely anticipated
start to sales at Redrow’s
Worden Brook Hall – the
first phase of the visionary
development, Buckshaw Village,
near Chorley.
Worden
Brook Hall will feature detached
homes finished to Redrow’s
luxury Heritage interior style
and high specification but,
unique to Buckshaw, the exteriors
are re-elevated to revive the
architecture of the 1920s’
street scene. The first releases
will be three and four-bedroom
detached homes with prices from
around £140,000.
Christine
Aitken, sales director for Redrow
Homes (Lancashire), says: “This
is what everyone has been working
towards and it’s tremendously
exciting news for house hunters
in Lancashire.
“Our
first homes to be released embody
a wonderful balance between
contemporary, convenient and
economic family living with
traditional and desirable character.
But this is just the start.
As Buckshaw Village develops,
these carefully detailed and
designed homes will blend into
the whole vision of a sustainable
‘urban village’,
which embraces the key concepts
of mixed-use development and
high environmental standards.”
While the architecture in the
first releases evokes the roaring
Twenties, the interiors are
most definitely 21st Century,
with all the Redrow properties
featuring energy efficient central
heating, modern standards of
insulation, and PVCu double
glazed windows for significant
energy savings.
The
next phase will include a special
architecturally designed ‘village
centre’ with homes in
courtyard and mew-style settings.
Predominantly apartments and
three-storey town houses, these
homes will reflect a traditional
village theme with frontages
up to the footpaths and parking
to the rear.
Eventually,
the choice of new homes across
Buckshaw Village will offer
everything from affordable first-time
buyer properties to high specification
detached family homes.
A
joint venture between Redrow
and Barratt on the site of the
former Royal Ordnance Factory,
Buckshaw Village will span some
395 acres, will take between
10 and 15 years to complete
and have a finished value of
around £400 million. Along
with the new homes, plans include
a business park and other commercial
use, with employment for up
to 5,900 people, a district
shopping centre, railway station,
park and ride facilities, a
primary school, and outdoor
sports amenities.
Buckshaw
Village will make the most of
the natural habitat, with existing
areas of mature woodland and
wildlife protected and enhanced
by new planting. Two grade II*
listed buildings, Buckshaw Hall
and Worden Old Hall, will also
be restored to their former
glory and put back into everyday
use.
The Worden Brook Hall sales
office will officially open
on Friday, April 18, when you
can visit or call 01772 432
006. Alternatively call now
on 01942 602 232 to register
your interest. Or log on to
www.redrow.co.uk . Background
information on the Buckshaw
Village project can be found
at www.buckshawvillage.co.uk
Garden
Thefts
20/03/03
Over
recent weeks there has been numerous reports
of thefts of garden ornaments in particular
chimney pots. These offences have occurred
across Chorley area also. There have been
5 incidents in the Halsall area over the past
week as well as 2 thefts from Hesketh Bank.
Due to the wieght of the property being stolen
it is obvious that a vehicle (either a van
or a car) is involved. The Police wish to
speak to the driver of a white NIssan Bluebird
reg. no. G38 GJC and any sightings should
be reported to the Police. It is possible
that other vehicles may be used so everyone
is asked to be extra vigilant. The thefts
from gardens in Halsall occurred in the early
hours of the morning at around 4am. If anyone
has any information on this matter you can
also contact Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.
BUCKSHAW
VILLAGE GETS GROWING - 14 March 2003 It's
back breaking work but someone has to do it …
the Mayors of Chorley and South Ribble Borough Council
put their weight behind a massive tree-planting
initiative at Buckshaw Village this week!
Chorley
Mayor, Cllr. Raymond Parr, and Cllr. David Pownall,
Mayor of South Ribble, were invited to plant one
of 660 trees being used to line Central Avenue at
Buckshaw Village, helping to create an attractive
approach to the new homes now under construction.
Robert Handford, managing director of Barratt Manchester
- joint developers of Buckshaw Village with Redrow
- said: "As the former Royal Ordnance Factory
straddles the two council boundaries, we thought
it appropriate to invite both Mayors to mark the
latest milestone in the site's history. The trees
are being planted in readiness for the launch of
housing sales by both companies over the Easter
weekend."
The
trees chosen to line Central Avenue, the main thoroughfare
through the new village, are 'Tilia x. euchlora',
or Caucasian lime trees. They are UK-grown stock
from J. A. Jones & Sons nurseries in Southport
and are being planted by W.J. Wilkinson & Sons
of Longridge. David
Toft, of Cork Toft Partnership - Preston-based landscape
architects for Redrow and Barratt - explains: "This
type of lime tree is an excellent choice of avenue
tree as they have straight trunks and a nice silhouette.
This particular species is a 'clean' lime, unlike
the common lime, which attracts aphids that secrete
a sticky honeydew that can drip onto cars, etc.
"The
trees being planted are currently eight years old
and about 20 to 25 feet tall. They should reach
full maturity and up to 60 feet in height over the
next 60 to 80 years."
Just
over a third of Buckshaw Village's 395 acres will
be developed for housing, with just under 31 per
cent designated for business and commercial use
and almost a third retained as green space. The
balance will comprise a school and other community
facilities.
Mayor
of Chorley, Cllr. Raymond Parr, said: "It has
taken 10 years of hard work and determination by
the landowners and the local authorities to bring
about the regeneration of this major former munitions
site. The tree planting marks the birth of the new
Buckshaw Village. Now the vision, for a whole new
community, based on sustainable principles with
a mix of homes, jobs, community and leisure facilities,
starts to become a reality. "I
am proud that Chorley Borough Council has been so
closely involved in helping to make it happen and
I wish the project every success over the next 10
years or so that it will take to develop."
Echoing
his sentiments, the Mayor of South Ribble, Cllr.
David Pownall, added: "This is a very exiting
time for everyone concerned with this project when
the much-heralded plans start to become a reality.
Already we have seen the single most massive transformation
of a unique brownfield landscape within our two
boroughs. "We
are now in the position where probably the largest
single regeneration site in the north west of England
is now ripe for high quality and innovative development
to create a sustainable urban village, where people
will enjoy living, working and playing. Today's
tree planting is an important milestone in the delivery
of what I am sure will become a remarkable and admired
regeneration project."
Among
the properties to be built at Buckshaw Village will
be the 'village street and market square', at its
heart, including houses, apartments and shops in
eclectic styles, covering a range of periods from
the 17th to early 20th century. The aim is to replicate
how an old, established village might have evolved
over time and to reflect the growth of the village
and its transition from agrarian to industrial.
The first phases though will feature more contemporary
parcels of detached and semi-detached houses, plus
some apartments from both developers. Redrow
is beginning with three and four-bedroom detached
houses based on the floorplans of its popular Heritage
Range, but re-elevated to create the impression
of a traditional 1920s' streetscene. Barratt, meanwhile,
will offer three, four and five-bedroom detached
styles from its Premier Collection. The first homes
should be ready for occupation by the end of the
year.
Estates
Review - Oct/Nov 2002
Urban Regeneration - Buckshaw village makes headway
on two fronts Two
more milestones have been passed in the £400
million enterprise to redevelop the former Ordnance
factory at Chorley into a major business park,
new homes and leisure use. The first phase of
remediated land has been handed over to the developers,
Redrow and Barratt, and the initial stage of commercial
development is under way. Remediation is already
complete on about a third of the developable land
within the 395 acre site and construction has
started on the first phase of Matrix Park, comprising
a speculative scheme of four detached industrial
units providing a total floor space of 80,000
sq. ft. Work
has also begun to create the infrastructure for
a whole development, including roads, sewers,
installation of gas, water and electricity, as
well as landscaping.
The former Royal Ordnance factory is one of the
largest brown field sites in the north-west and
was acquired from BAE Systems, whose own environmental
services company has been undertaking the clean-up.
The multi-million remediation programmes should
take about another 12 months to complete. Gordon
Bulloch, general manager of BAE Systems Environmental
Services said: “We're proud to be part of
the team involved in the Buckshaw Village development
that will bring back into beneficial use some
400 acres of regenerated land, invigorating the
local economy and surrounding area. “This
was an innovative approach to the sale of a brownfield
site, in which BAE Systems not only sold the site
in the Redrow-Barratt Consortium with the benefit
of outline planning permission, but included a
fixed price contract to remediate the site and
provide the land from platform for redevelopment."
As
well as launching their first speculative phase,
Redrow Commercial and Barratt Commercial are also
putting in place roads and infrastructure to service
Matrix Park, while agents King Sturge and DTZ
Debenham Tie Leung have been jointly appointed
to market the site to potential business users.
Iain Robertson, development manager for Redrow
Commercial, says: “We're delighted that Buckshaw
Village is beginning to take shape. The greatest
strengths of the project are its scale, the opportunity
to create a higher quality living and working
environment and the location between two major
motorways. The excellent communication links the
site enjoys is certain to prove a major factor
in companies deciding to base themselves here.”
Buckshaw
Village lies adjacent to junction 28 of the M6
and close to junction 8 of the M61, just two miles
from Chorley and Leyland and less than 30 miles
from Manchester city centre. Matrix Park will
cover an area of 80 acres, comprising industrial,
warehousing and distribution, offices and leisure
uses. In addition to residential development and
commercial and industrial accommodation, Buckshaw
Village will also include community and sporting
facilities. There are proposals for a primary
school, a railway station and a park and ride
scheme, with development due to take place over
the next 10-15 years.
Chorley
Borough Council - Undated "This
huge (300 hectare plus) former ammunition factory
is located mainly in Chorley Borough but is also partly
located in South Ribble is being redeveloped with
a mix of housing, employment and community uses. Most
of this brownfield site is to become a new settlement
- an urban village - with upwards of 1500 houses and
employment and community uses. The urban village is
to be called Buckshaw Village. Business proposals
include a site for investment of regional significance,
which is to be located adjacent to the urban village.
There are plans to reopen the Royal Ordnance railway
station and to provide road access through the site
from Euxton Lane to Dawson Lane and the A49. Development
progress: The two Borough Councils (Chorley &
South Ribble) and Lancashire County Council have been
working together since the early 1990's with the former
site owners british Aerospace, and more recently with
the site developers. A Masterplan was prepared by
the consultants Cass Associates based on the findings
of the initial feasibility studies into the site.
The Masterplan guides the development of the urban
village. Initial works have concentrated on clearing
the various buildings and structures of the previous
factory, along with ground remediation. The housing
development is being led by a consortium of Redrow
and Barratt Homes, who will be building at the same
time, as separate plots are being made available for
industrial, office and warehousing units. The whole
site will take many years to complete."
New
village planned for Chorley, The Move Channel - November
2001
."A former Royal Ordnance Factory
is to be converted into a brand new £400 million
village in Chorley, Lancashire. Put together by Cork
Toft Partnerships, the masterplan for the 160 hectare
site has been submitted by housebuilders Redrow and
Barratt and it will now be considered by South Ribble
and Chorley Borough Councils. If
granted full planning permission (outline planning
permission was granted in 1999), the Buckshaw Village
plan will see 1,700 new homes built over the next
decade, along with sports facilities, a railway station,
an urban park and a variety of commercial buildings.
Work is expected to start next year, with the first
units coming available as early as July."
Remedial
Work, Builder & Engineer, - undated
"Some 160ha of a former BAE Systems
munitions factory site near Chorley has been sold
to Redrow Homes and Barratt Homes for redevelopment
into housing and offices. But
before this development can take place, the site has
to be cleared of any contamination and explosives
in one of the country’s most extensive land remediation
contracts.
BAE Systems Environmental Services is overseeing the
remediation under contract to Redrow Homes. By linking
the remediation contract to the sale, Redrow Homes
has benefited from a fixed price for the work, and
from employing a managing contractor with both a detailed
knowledge of the site and experience in remediating
other former explosives manufacturing sites. The first
task was to carry out an extremely thorough site investigation
to pinpoint danger areas. Extensive remediation of
the site was then undertaken. This has included the
decontamination and demolition of over 850 manufacturing,
storage and administrative buildings covering 1.5
million sq ft. Methods used include a variety of hydraulic
breakers and nibblers, including plant as large as
80 tonnes. Remedial earthwork has resulted in the
relocation of 1.7 million cu m of material to remove
any mislaid munitions components. Material removed
that might pose a possible threat has been buried
in an engineered and licensed containment landfill,
constructed specifically for the project on an adjacent
part of the site. This containment site is for contaminated
soils only, and will not include toxic chemicals or
industrial waste. All works are being managed in close
liaison with Chorley Borough Council, South Ribble
Borough Council, the Environment Agency and safety
watchdog the Health & Safety Executive. The remedial
works will be completed in three stages, with the
first development scheduled to finish by the end of
the year. Thanks to such work, the site is due to
be made safe by early 2003. On completion, the site
– once the largest munitions factory in Europe
– will be named Buckshaw Village, and will consist
of 49ha of housing and 47ha of commercial development.
There will also be 64ha of newly established parkland,
open space and roadways. Two historic listed buildings,
which pre-date the construction of the factory, will
be restored as part of the development."
Chairmans
Statement (Robert Jones), Redrow - March 2001
"The combined residential and
commercial expertise within the Group is of great
strategic value as planners, nationally and locally,
are placing increasing importance on mixed use schemes.
Buckshaw Village in Lancashire, being developed in
joint venture, represents a prime example. With a
combined development value of approximately £400m,
Buckshaw Village will provide a sustainable living
and working environment. Such schemes complement Redrow
Commercial's development programme and in the future
are likely to represent a growing proportion of its
workload."
UK-WIRE
Redrow PLC - 30 November 2000
REDROW PLC ANNOUNCES £400M
MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT AT BUCKSHAW VILLAGE, CHORLEY,
LANCASHIRE
Redrow plc announces its involvement in the
£400m mixed use Buckshaw Village scheme in
Euxton, near Chorley, Lancashire. The
395 acre site has been secured from BAE Systems
and is one of the largest brownfield sites in the
North West. It has an outline planning consent for
120 acres of residential development (approximately
1,500 dwellings) and 115 acres of commercial and
industrial accommodation. Both elements of the scheme
will be developed jointly with Barratt Developments
plc. The site which was part of the Royal Ordnance
facility at Chorley is currently being remediated
for the joint developers by BAE Systems Properties
Ltd.
Buckshaw
Village will be a new community with excellent road
and rail communications including provision of a
new railway station. The site is close to both the
M6 and M61 motorways and is less than 30 miles from
Manchester.
The Commercial Property element will have an estimated
development value of £170m and will include
offices, warehouses and distribution facilities.
Paul
Pedley, Chief Executive of Redrow plc, commented
'Redrow is extremely pleased to be involved in this
substantial mixed use development utilising our
skills in both our residential and commercial operations.
The site conforms to the Government's requirements
for brownfield development and it will secure one
of the major housing allocations in the North West
as well as providing a major opportunity for the
Group's Commercial Property
Division. We are delighted to have worked with BAE
Systems on this project and look forward to maintaining
this relationship into the future.'
