by Bethany Vann | 16 Oct 25 | Commercial Landscaping, Landscape Architecture, News
Construction has begun on Central Docks, a key neighbourhood within the larger Liverpool Waters regeneration project.
Civic leaders, project partners, and over 100 students were in attendance at the event, titled “From Foundations to Futures”, which celebrated the commencement of the £81m infrastructure works.
Spanning 26 acres, Central Docks is the largest of the five planned neighbourhoods, sitting at the centre of Liverpool Waters between the Hill Dickinson Stadium and the Liver Building.
Plans include the delivery of around 2,350 new homes, as well as a new five-acre green space, titled “Central Park”, which is being led by contractor GRAHAM.
Coming in at £71m, Central Park is positioned as the focal point of the new neighbourhood. It will see hundreds of new trees established to boost the areas biodiversity, in addition to new play areas, sports and creational facilities, and enhance walking and cycling routes to improve accessibility.
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters – which is working in partnership with Homes England and Liverpool City Council to deliver the project – comments:
“The groundbreaking of Central Docks marks a pivotal moment not just for Liverpool Waters, but for the future of this iconic waterfront. This milestone is the result of years of collaboration with our partners across the public and private sectors, and it reflects our shared commitment to unlocking the full potential of these historic docklands.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council, adds that Central Docks will “unlock new opportunities for employment, education and wellbeing through its green spaces and public realm.”
The wider Liverpool Waters masterplan, which spans 60 hectares and aims to reconnect the city with its historic waterfront.
Work on the Central Docks and Central Park is expected to be completed by late spring 2028.
by Aidan Williams | 15 Nov 24 | News
Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, has announced that chair Peter Freeman and chief executive Peter Denton will be stepping down from their roles after four years leading the agency together.
Denton will be depart in the new year, while Peter Freeman will handover to his successor when the recruitment of a new chair is completed later next year.
Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, confirmed that the recruitment process for finding their successors will start shortly.
The new chair and interim CEO will be working at pace to implement the government’s priorities, with a strong focus on boosting growth through the delivery of new housing supply and place-based regeneration.
“Our work together at the Agency as ‘the Peters’ has reflected a period of intense activity and achievement for the agency,” says Denton
“The agency is excited to help the government realise its target of 1.5m homes, and to offer capacity and capability to the mayors and local councils to deliver their local growth plans, including the largest delivery of new social housing in two generations.
“This will require a leadership team with a time horizon extending beyond the period I had originally set for myself. It’s important, therefore, that 2025 sees a new chair and a new CEO taking on this incredible fresh mandate.”
It has been a busy time for Homes England of late, as only last week it was announced that it has approved a £124 million funding package for Barking Riverside Limited, to construct more homes and deliver new infrastructure.
by Aidan Williams | 07 Nov 24 | Commercial Landscaping, News
Barking Riverside Limited has had a £124 million funding package approved by Homes England, to construct more homes and deliver new infrastructure to the riverside in east London.
The riverside is a 443-acre brownfield site, formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, and is one of Europe’s largest placemaking projects.
Upon completion, the new mixed-use development will provide affordable family homes, enhanced green spaces, seven new schools and better access to the River Thames, as well as a significant amount of community space.
The funding agreed is a combination of loan and grant funding and will help the master developer Barking Riverside, in itself a partnership between L&Q and the Mayor of London, to prepare the land including flood defence work and the construction of an energy centre and parks.
“Barking Riverside is an exemplary new town that is transforming east London with state-of-the-art new homes, community facilities, transport links and green spaces,” says Tom Copley, the deputy mayor of London for housing and residential development.
“I’m delighted that £124 million has been secured to help unlock 20,000 new, high-quality homes. This will help support the mayor’s plans to boost homebuilding across London and build a fairer, more prosperous city for everyone.”
This will help make it possible to build another 16,500 homes on the site, to complement the 3,500 already built or under construction by housing association, L&Q, and housebuilder, Bellway.
This could see up to 20,000 new homes in total delivered at Barking Riverside, creating a community of up to 50,000 people.
The site’s current planning consent for 10,800 homes was originally approved by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in 2008, however it has since been identified that the site could house up to 20,000 homes.
Matthew Carpen, managing director of Barking Riverside, says: “Barking Riverside has delivered thousands of vitally needed new homes for Londoners, on brownfield land that has already seen a significant investment in infrastructure. However, the support from Homes England will enable this project to move into a new era – increasing the level of ambition and unlocking housing at the scale needed to truly make an impact.
“We are excited to make our new masterplan a reality, which would not be possible without a number of important partnerships. Fundamentally, this funding from Homes England ensures that Barking Riverside can remain delivery-focussed and resilient despite a challenging market.”
Future homes built at Barking Riverside will be powered by a low carbon district heating network, which means that heat and hot water is generated locally and brought to homes through an underground network of insulated pipes, an environmentally friendly alternative to gas boilers.
Elsewhere, Barking was recently featured in the Parks For London report which celebrates the work that London boroughs do to maintain and develop the city’s parks and green spaces.
by Aidan Williams | 06 Nov 24 | Commercial Landscaping, News
Homes England have made a £56 million investment to speed up the regeneration of Liverpool’s historic northern docklands, with final approval given by the HM Treasury.
The funding will support the creation of a new public park and vital infrastructure that will accommodate approximately 2,350 new homes.
It forms part of the government’s plans to build 1.5 million new homes across the UK in the next five years.
The investment by Homes England relates to Central Docks, the largest of five neighbourhoods within the emerging Liverpool Waters district.
Owned and masterplanned by waterside regeneration specialists Peel Waters, it extends over two kilometres along the banks of the river Mersey and has outline planning permission across 60 hectares.
The key infrastructure within the 10.5-hectare scheme, which comprises underground utilities, roads, pavements, public park, green spaces, and public amenities, will lay the groundwork for future investments.
With full planning approval for the site preparation work, the comprehensive plans for Central Docks include the creation of an interconnected network of public spaces.
The Central Docks neighbourhood alone is projected to attract over £550 million in private investment.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, says: “The development of Central Docks, alongside the ongoing work to regenerate Bramley Moore and Bootle, has the potential to be a catalyst for growth and wider regeneration for great swathes of South Sefton and North Liverpool, creating jobs and attracting investment.
“The Central Docks site was identified in the Liverpool Strategic Advisory Panel’s final report as a site for potential development. The £56m we’ve received is an enormous statement of intent – on top of the £31m we secured for the city back in March this year.
“I’m delighted that the Treasury has given us the go-ahead for this investment, which promises to be a really significant development for our city region.”
Central Park’s design will celebrate the site’s industrial heritage and coastal location, blending coastal and woodland plantations, wetlands, and open parkland.
It has been a very busy week for Homes England, who have entered into a joint venture that plans to deliver 3,000 low-carbon, low-energy affordable homes.
by Aidan Williams | 04 Nov 24 | Commercial Landscaping, News
Feedback for proposals surrounding Belmont Passage in Birmingham will close in three days, as Homes England prepare to submit a planning application.
The are for a vibrant, residential-led development of up to 550 homes, urban public space and flexible commercial space in Digbeth.
Feedback can be submitted online and there was a webinar hosted recently which is now available via Vimeo.
It is located near existing and new public transport and other active travel connections, so it is hoped that Belmont Passage will make a significant contribution to the wider regeneration of Digbeth and Birmingham’s creative quarter.
“We are seeking to make Belmont Passage a desirable and pleasant place to live and visit, with safe cycle parking and an improved aspect onto the nearby River Rea providing opportunities for residents and families of all ages to enjoy pleasant and usable outdoor space,” says Homes England.
“Our plans will see Belmont Passage stand as a landmark development driving the urban renewal of this dynamic part of the city centre, providing residents with easy access to Birmingham’s vibrant creative quarter.”
Earlier today it was announced that Homes England are getting involved with Habiko, a joint venture which hopes to deliver 3000 homes.
