Work to start on first phase of Garden Village site

CALA Homes has announced that is has completed the acquisition of the first phase of the Long Marston Airfield development site in Stratford-upon-Avon and will start enabling works in the Spring.

Planning approval is already in place for the first 400 homes, community facilities and employment space on the site which forms part of the proposed Long Marston Garden Village. It will also be supported by up to £13.4 million of funding from the Homes England Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) which aims to unlock key sites for development.

CALA's acquisition of the first phase at Long Marston is an important milestone and follows several years of careful planning and negotiations between CALA and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

The much-anticipated development will deliver a high-quality scheme ranging from two to five bedroom properties to meet local housing need. Seventy of the homes will be affordable for social rent and shared ownership.

The development will also feature 4,000 sq. metres of community space, with the potential for employment units, health facilities, shops and a community centre. Twenty-one hectares of public open space will also be created on the site, incorporating sports pitches, a multi-use games area, drainage ponds and a community orchard.

Daniel Forrester, regional land director at CALA Homes Midlands, comments: "We're delighted to have completed the final steps which enable us to start work on such an important development for Stratford and the surrounding area. The acquisition of the site has been a long and complex process, and we have worked in close partnership with Homes England and Stratford-upon-Avon District Council to bring our proposal to fruition. The funding from Homes England has been an important step towards commencing works, and we're grateful to them for their support.

"This is a flagship site for CALA Homes and a key development in delivering local housing targets. We're incredibly proud to be playing an important role in the regeneration of a brownfield site into what will be a thriving new community.

"We look forward to beginning remediation work on the site in the coming weeks and expect to deliver the first homes in 2021."

Cllr Tony Jefferson, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said: "We are very pleased that the first phase of the development at Long Marston is going ahead. Given the complexity of the scheme it has taken a lot of work by the various stakeholders to reach this point. It demonstrates what can be achieved by taking a strategic view and working hard to get the desired outcome."

Sophie White, Director of Infrastructure Grant at Homes England, said: "This acquisition marks a key moment for Long Marston and we look forward to seeing spades in the ground in the coming weeks. Our multi-million pound funding injection has allowed for the construction of key infrastructure - including new roads - unlocking critical housing land and meaning local partners can now get on with the job of making homes happen for their communities."