The home truths of successful regeneration in Nuneaton

Nuneaton has the sites, developer interest and council willingness but with its good train links is it in danger of just becoming a bigger dormitory town? In January, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council went out to consultation on its local plan. It proposes delivering 7,000 new homes in Nuneaton by 2031. Housebuilders may welcome the news but there are fears that not enough is being done to maximise the economic potential of an increasing population. Nuneaton’s location is both a blessing and curse. Situated at the heart of the UK’s road and rail network within easy reach of Coventry, Birmingham and Leicester, and London less than hour away by train, it is easy to get to but also an easy place to commute from. “The largest housing site is north of Nuneaton, where we want to deliver 3,331 homes,” says Dale Pepitt, principal planning policy and economic development officer at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. “Around half of those homes already have planning permission.” Indeed, many in the industry argue that, given the level of demand, the borough’s overall target of delivering more than 13,000 homes over the next 15 years is not ambitious enough. Midlands developer Deeley Group has already built 1,000 new houses at Nuneaton’s Bermuda Village. Managing director Peter Deeley says: “We think the council has underestimated the number of houses needed in the borough by around 2,000 and the industry is more than ready to deliver.” An influx of residents can breath new life into a town and yet without significant investment in infrastructure and local amenities, Nuneaton is unlikely to enjoy sustainable benefits. “There is a danger of it becoming little more than a commuter town where people live but then go off to work, shop and socialise elsewhere,” says Sean Farnell, a board member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Economic Partnership. Farnell, who works as an accountant in Nuneaton, adds: “The town’s accessibility works both for and against it because people can easily travel elsewhere.” Given its neighbours and socio-economic setting, it punches below its weight. “It has always been in the shadow of Coventry and failed to fulfil its huge potential,” says Eleanor Deeley, head of residential at Cushman & Wakefield in Birmingham. “It is incredibly well placed geographically and is surrounded by two leading universities and an extremely successful tech and automotive cluster. Yet it has always been down at heel.” But the borough council’s new local plan looks to address this. Dale says: “It is critical that the new residential development is sustainable and each allocated site comes with key infrastructure proposals to support it, be it improving transport connections, building schools or leisure facilities.” The council is considering introducing an infrastructure levy on new development to help fund key projects. The local plan also identifies 36 hectares of new employment land within Nuneaton, including a number of green belt sites. It is hoped its proximity to high-tech clusters such as MIRA Technology Park – the largest transport technology park in Europe – will help in attracting new businesses. But crucial both to attracting employment and residents is addressing the long-neglected town centre, which has suffered from under-investment. When Richardsons opened its 200,000 sq ft Ropewalk shopping centre back in 2005, it was hoped it would leverage  more private sector investment, but that has not materialised and the loss of key retailers such as Co-op and Marks & Spencer has added to Nuneaton’s woes. “The town centre has been neglected for far too long,” says Farnell. “It is referred to by many people as a ghost town and needs to be made much more appealing to residents, retailers and potential investors.” The public sector owns around 25% of land in the town centre and, in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, the borough council is hoping to use these assets to create mixed-use development opportunities. The partnership is being supported by the Department for Communities and Local Government and UKTI and last year took its investment proposition to MIPIM. It is promoting four key development sites in the town centre totalling 20.6 acres around Vicarage Street, Abbey Street, the bus station and railway station. “Nuneaton town centre punches well below its weight and we need to intervene in whatever way we can,” says Mark Ryder, head of transport and economy at Warwickshire County Council. “If we work together to lever in private sector investment it can become a vibrant growth town.” The partnership is waiting to hear whether it has secured up to £15m of Growth Deal funding through the LEP to assist with land acquisition, improvements to the highways network and investment in public realm. It is hoped the investment will encourage developers to come on board in integrating a mix of uses throughout the town centre. According to Ryder, there are just nine people on the electoral register within the town centre and the councils are hoping proposals will incorporate residential units. Yet it is critical they sit alongside an element of retail, business space and a large chunk of leisure in a town which has failed to develop its nighttime economy. Carter Jonas is advising the public sector on its Transforming Nuneaton drive and presenting the opportunity to potential development partners. “Surrounding centres have sucked in a lot of investment and Nuneaton has been very much off the radar,” says Carter Jonas partner Steve Norris. He adds: “Like many of those outside the top 50 retail centres, Nuneaton’s challenge is consolidating its retail offer, while accepting the cull on the high street hasn’t ended. It must put much more emphasis on entertainment, leisure and F&B.” Les Snowdon, head of estates and town centres at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, says: “It is early stages, but we have already met up with around half a dozen investors and developers. Many are considering mixed-use schemes incorporating residential to make them tick.” He is prepared to explore a number of delivery models, ranging from site disposal to some form of joint venture. Ryder says that under the right circumstances, the public sector might invest its own cash, particularly if it means securing some form of income stream. Lessons have been learned from past failures and flexibility is the key. The council had previously hoped to regenerate the Vicarage Street site through a development agreement with Regal Property Group, only for it to be abandoned when the foodstore anchor pulled out. Snowdon admits the council had perhaps been too prescriptive and had learnt valuable lessons. On solid ground Midlands developer Deeley Group has been delivering homes and employment space in Nuneaton since the 1980s. Managing director Peter Deeley insists the town offers a sound investment proposition. Deeley Group purchased 350 acres of disused land in Nuneaton in 1981. Today Bermuda Village, as it is now called, accommodates 1,000 homes and provides jobs for 2,000 people. It continues to attract significant investment, with Deeley having just completed a £10m headquarters building for Holland & Barrett. Peter Deeley encourages other developers to consider Nuneaton as an investment location. He says: “It is not the sort of market where you will double your money in two years, but the market is sound and we have always had strong support from the public sector. We will certainly be making further investment.” [caption id="attachment_872512" align="aligncenter" width="570"] New Holland & Barrett HQ[/caption]