Rosconn Strategic Land are delighted to announce the sale of Hill Farm, Sharnbrook, Bedford to Bellway Homes. The site for 500 homes, a new primary school, retail and community facilities and extensive areas of public open space and leisure facilities will be jointly developed by Bellway and Redrow Homes.
After entering a Promotion Agreement on the land, Rosconn Strategic Land successfully promoted the site through the Sharnbrook Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) working closely with the local community. This work saw the site identified as the sole housing allocation in the NDP, meeting the full housing requirement set by the Bedford 2030 plan. With a resounding 84.4% of the local community voting in favour of the plan at referendum in October 2021 it was formally made by Bedford Borough Council the following month.
Extensive technical work has taken place on the site to shape the masterplan to demonstrate a high quality, sustainable, landscape-led development. The mixed-use scheme will provide a full range of house types and tenures (up to 150 being affordable) centred around a community hub providing a new primary school, and retail and community floorspace. Extensive new woodland planting will also be provided throughout the site, alongside approximately 35 acres of open space comprising parkland, sports pitches, ecology park, allotments and children’s play space. A new roundabout from the A6 will provide direct access to the site, whilst a comprehensive network of pedestrian and cycle routes will connect the development to the nearby village centre. The masterplan has been further refined through pre-application engagement with the Borough Planning and Highway departments and following a public consultation with the local community.
We worked closely with Dan Wisson and Neil Grainger of Bellway Homes to ensure an exchange and simultaneous completion of the site sale within 7 weeks of their selection as the preferred purchaser for the site.
Our thanks also go to Alistair Brodie and Tristan Peck of Bletsoes who advised the landowner and Claire Waring who acted for Rosconn, Michael Campbell who acted for the landowner on the sale along with James Hart who acted for Bellway. All worked tirelessly in a collaborative fashion to ensure the contract timetable that was set at the outset was met.
Bellway will imminently be submitting their planning application for the site and we look forward to seeing this high quality development taking shape in the coming years.
