ST. MODWEN RELEASES FURTHER DETAILS ON LONG MARSTON MASTERPLAN

The UK’s leading regeneration specialist, St. Modwen has released further details to the public on its masterplan submitted for the 190 hectare (478 acre) Long Marston site in Warwickshire.

An exhibition for local residents and interested parties was held on the Long Marston site on Monday 8 June, where St. Modwen showcased further images and information from the masterplan which has been submitted to Stratford District Council. The public exhibition for Long Marston coincided with the launch of St. Modwen’s website for the masterplan – www.longmarstonmasterplan.co.uk – where detailed plans and images of the development are now available to view online.

John Dodds, Midlands regional director for St. Modwen commented: “Having consulted heavily with the public on our four initial options which were then refined to two, we further consulted on these which has resulted in the final submitted option. Although wanting to avoid consultation fatigue, we thought it would be a good idea to share the planning application information.

“Considering some of the comments received last night, there appears to be some suspicion over the number of houses we are proposing. We can confirm that this planning application is for no more than 500 houses and the leisure/employment aspects of the site included within our application do not allow for more dense housing numbers.

“There is also some confusion over whether our proposals meet CTY.18; there is no doubt that the site is located in an area where the need and demand for housing is high and where affordability concerns exist – this is a fact that has been widely reported. As the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, St. Modwen will always look to fulfil both immediate and broader local needs through development.

“We believe this masterplan is an excellent option for our site as it will not only safeguard the jobs already present there but create new employment opportunities, enhance the tourist appeal and expand the leisure requirements of Stratford-upon-Avon and neighbouring areas, as well as providing much needed family housing.”

St. Modwen’s planning proposals for the Long Marston Estate sit completely separately from the proposed 600 acre Middle Quinton Eco Town. The Long Marston Estate proposals envisage the creation of a leisure-based development that will retain the 80,000 sq m of employment space currently on site, thus safeguarding around 500 jobs.

St. Modwen’s vision is to create a self sufficient development at Long Marston where leisure, employment areas and housing will be brought together by a central leisure and community hub.

Building upon Stratford’s reputation as the UK’s 25th most popular tourist attraction, a holiday village is at the heart of the the proposals for Long Marston offering 150 holiday homes based around an extended lake area and enjoying a rural landscape. The village will also provide 150 fully serviced self catering holiday lodges and an 80 pitch caravan site, providing an ideal location from which holiday makers can explore the region.

Key elements include activity and ecology spines running through the length of the site, cycle routes and footpath including the extension of the Greenway, alongside the creation of lakeside attractions, sports park, nature and parkland areas.

Opportunities for circa 500 jobs currently exist on site and the proposals allow for the retention of these and the generation of further opportunities through the development of the outdoor activity centre, the self catering lodges, the community hub and the support facilities.

The residential element of the development has been designed to meet local needs and help more Stratford residents get onto the property ladder locally. St. Modwen envisages the creation of up to 500 new homes with properties ranging from one bedroom apartments to five bedroom houses, 35 per cent of which will be affordable properties. Through offering this choice of homes, St. Modwen aims to not only create a diverse and sustainable community at Long Marston but also ensure local people can continue to live and work in the area.

Linking the site to Stratford upon Avon via the popular Greenway, cycle and walking routes have also been incorporated within the masterplan, connecting key areas within the site and also encouraging wider rural exploration.

Notes to Editors:
St. Modwen is the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, operating across the full spectrum of the property industry through a network of seven regional offices and a Birmingham based head office. The company is wholly focussed upon regeneration with expertise in brownfield land renewal, partnering with industry, town centre regeneration, Innovation Centres and education projects. www.stmodwen.co.uk