Wavensmere Homes is seeking brownfield sites at least three acres within city centres and towns across the Midlands as it looks to kickstart new housebuilding projects.
The builder has an aim of delivering 1,000 homes per year, as its managing director James Dickens declared that “complex, dirty land, with historic assets is our sweet spot”.
The Birmingham-headquartered firm already has 3,500 plots in production or planning, while it wants to double its turnover from £115 million in 2024 to around £250 million per year.
Dickens said: “Land assembly, planning and pre-construction work can take several years.
“The new administration in No.10 has big ambitions to speed up the process, which we welcome and support, but changes will take time to implement at a local level.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our pipeline of major residential-led sites, but we need to acquire more development land before this year is out.”
“The area we have intrinsic knowledge of is the East and West Midlands. It’s where our executive and management team live, where the majority of our core supply chain partners are based, and where we have an existing track record and established working relationships with local authorities.
“We would love to do more in Wolverhampton and across the Black Country, as we firmly believe the Birmingham ripple effect should be accelerating the regeneration of well-connected locations, such as Smethwick, Walsall and Dudley.
“In the East Midlands, we are keen to acquire our first sites in Leicester and Nottingham, as well as build upon our reputation in Derby.”
“We are keen to hear from landowners and agents with new opportunities.”
The firm is currently redeveloping the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary into the £175 million Nightingale Quarter. The former Florence Nightingale-designed hospital on London Road – which had laid derelict for a decade – is comprised of 925 houses, apartments, The Pepperpot restaurant, and a range of residents’ amenities.
Late last year, the firm received the green light from Amber Valley Borough Council for the £22 million redevelopment of Milford Mills, which overlooks the River Derwent, located between Belper and Duffield in north Derbyshire. Some 69 new homes will be delivered on the historic site, which is within the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wavensmere’s £75m Friar Gate Goods Yard redevelopment in Derby city centre received planning committee approval in April 2024. The 276 houses and apartments will be available for occupation from 2026. Each house will have an EV car charging port, together with an air source heat pump and solar PV panels to generate green energy.
The firm’s plans for the redevelopment of one of the final plots of vacant land within Derby’s newly revitalised Cathedral Quarter are currently being considered by Derby City Council. Some 195 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments are proposed for the Full Street site, within a redesigned finely detailed u-shaped nine-storey red brick building.
Wavensmere Homes and BBS Capital submitted a full planning application to Cheltenham Borough Council earlier this year for the redevelopment of the North Place surface car park, located within the town’s Central Conservation Area. Some 153 houses and apartments are proposed for Arkle Court.
In May the developer unveiled plans and computer generated images of its plans for Wolverhampton’s Canalside South – a former industrial site which fronts onto the Wyrley & Essington canal and the Wolverhampton branch of the Birmingham Main Line Canal. Over 500 eco-focused homes and a range of commercial amenities are proposed for the 17.5-acre site – one of the largest city centre residential development opportunities in the Midlands.
The locations include on-site communal facilities like co-working offices, screening rooms, community gardens, and fitness and play spaces.