Nottinghamshire picks modular developer for council land regeneration

Nottinghamshire County Council has picked modular housing provider ilke Homes as its preferred buyer for a 140-home regeneration on former council office land. The council has agreed to sell a nine-acre site on Rolleston Drive, Arnold, to ilke for an undisclosed sum. It is Nottinghamshire’s first modular deal and ilke’s largest scheme this year. ilke Homes will submit a planning application for an affordable-led scheme of two, three and four-bedroom houses by the end of this month. The homes will be manufactured at its factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and assembled on site in Q3 2021. The site previously held the highways depot and the council’s Rolleston Drive Campus. It was vacant for six years before being destroyed by a fire in 2017. Nottinghamshire considered the site for operational use, but was unable to find a viable solution. It opted for a sale to deliver new housing, a capital receipt and to release the council from ongoing maintenance and security obligations. The Rolleston Drive campus was marketed for sale in autumn 2019 and attracted bids from a number of housebuilders and developers, with the sale approved in January and finally signed off by the council at a cabinet meeting on 30 September. Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: “Our housing technology means we can quickly deliver a high-quality scheme that brings this derelict site back into productive use and deliver much needed, sustainable family homes for the local community.” Nottinghamshire County Council leader Kay Cutts said: “The re-use of this site for housing will be a huge benefit to the community and ilke Homes already appear to be making progress with their planning application. The sale will realise a notable capital receipt for Nottinghamshire County Council.” The deal is the latest in a string of council offices tipped for residential development, as local authorities across the country seek to relocate or shrink their footprints. Earlier this week EG revealed that Milton Keynes Council had agreed to sell its Saxon Court offices to Patron Capital and First Base for a £190m office and build-to-rent scheme. Surrey County Council is currently scoping plans for a 500-home scheme at its County Hall HQ in Kingston to pitch a development opportunity to the market and fund its relocation to Woking. Nottinghamshire County Council was advised by Innes England.   To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette