May got off to a bang for Richborough Estates, as we completed the sale of an 18 acre development site in Codsall, South Staffordshire. A fantastic village with a good range of shops, pubs and restaurants – and a number of highly-rated local schools – Taylor Wimpey were keen to seize the opportunity.
Of course, we had already secured a planning consent for 180 new homes, ranging from two bed starter homes to five bedroom executive properties. The expected gross development value of the site is £38 million, so both Taylor Wimpey and Codsall have an exciting future together.
As part of the planning consent we also included 72 affordable homes, which is in line with South Staffordshire District Council’s requirement that 40% of all new developments be affordable. A large proportion of the properties also met the Lifetime Homes standard, so our proposals catered for all ages.
The village is remarkably well located, positioned just four miles from the centre of Wolverhampton, with links to the nearby M54 motorway and a direct train line to Birmingham New Street.
Guy Bicknell, Senior Land Manager at Taylor Wimpey, said: “With a prime position to the north of the village and surrounded by Green Belt land, this is a prime residential development location and we’re naturally delighted to have secured this site. The village setting is desirable and, with its transport links and proximity to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, we’re confident that this will be a highly sought-after destination.”
During the planning process we also developed working relationships with local councillors, who were very supportive of our approach. Given the usual controversy surrounding new development, we were extremely pleased to attract such a glowing endorsement.
Cllr Matthew Ewart, the ward member for Codsall North, said: “Richborough has proved to be a competent and professional organisation that has worked with the planners at District Council to create a development appropriate to current housing needs. The mix of property types that they submitted to us as part of the outline planning application gives us the right combination of new homes for aspirational first time buyers and established family properties that will make a positive contribution to the growth and development of Codsall.”