FORMER JAM FACTORY SITE SOLD TO TAYLOR WIMPEY FOR 330-HOME REDEVELOPMENT

A former jam factory site in Droylsden is to be regenerated by Taylor Wimpey after the developer successfully secured the land to build 330 new homes.

Formerly home to the historic Robertson’s Jam Factory, the 20-acre site at Ashton Lane has stood empty since 2006 and was placed on the residential land market last summer.

Further to a number of bids on the opportunity from interested parties, Taylor Wimpey successfully secured the site for in excess of £15million.

The sale was overseen by Harris Lamb’s Residential Land team, acting on behalf of Willsgrove Developments Ltd, in conjunction with join agents CBRE.

Andy Lamb, Director at Harris Lamb, said he was thrilled with the sale: “Droylsden has a thriving community and given its close proximity to Manchester city centre, housing in the area is in extremely high demand. As such, there was a great deal of interest from developers keen to bring this highly-anticipated regeneration opportunity to fruition, with a number of bids submitted.

“With Taylor Wimpey now secured as the successful buyer, plans to redevelop this iconic site can now progress. The area’s convenient location just three miles from the city centre, and its excellent road and metrolink access links, made residential redevelopment an obvious choice for the land, and we are delighted that after standing empty for so many years, it has exciting future ahead of it.

“There are so many brownfield sites located at the heart of residential areas within the UK, and it’s good to see them being purchased, invested in and redeveloped to give them a new lease of life to support growing communities such as this and address the UK housing shortage,” he added.

With outline permission for 330 one- to five-bedroom homes to already in place at the site, Taylor Wimpey will shortly be submitting a reserved matters planning application seeking approval from Tameside Council for the detailed appearance and layout of its proposals. Subject to successfully gaining consent in spring the developer is looking to commence construction on site in summer 2020 with new homes going on sale before the end of 2020.

Gareth Bancroft, senior land and planning manager at Taylor Wimpey Manchester, said: “Our proposals will transform what is currently an unused, brownfield site, into a thriving, sustainable community, catering for house hunters at all stages of their lives, as well as bringing much needed investment and infrastructure to the area.”

As part of the proposals, Taylor Wimpey has committed to investing £400,000 in transport infrastructure, improving the capacity and safety of local roads, delivering a high-quality public space, and re-generating the Ashton Canalside.

A condition imposed by Tameside’s planning committee has decreed that five per cent of the homes should be classified as affordable housing.