Placepoint lands first site with Nottingham deal

A £150m joint venture between the government’s National Housing Bank and Vistry will deliver up to 1,600 homes as part of the first phase of the Gamston urban extension, the first site to be brought forward under the partnership.

Placepoint says the acquisition of land to build out the scheme near Nottingham City Airport marks a major milestone for the JV, which was launched in September last year with the aim of building around 4,000 houses nationwide.

Gamston’s SUE, to the south-east of Nottingham, is one of the largest planned growth locations in the East Midlands, with up to 4,000 homes planned as part of a scheme brought forward by Taylor Wimpey and Barwood Land and Arc Partnership on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.

Outline plans for the 280-acre first phase of development were lodged with Rushcliffe council in December 2020, and are still under consideration by the authority. Earlier this year, councillors signed off on a masterplan for the Tollerton Airfield site which it said it would use to determine planning applications for the urban extension area.

The 2020 application, put forward by Taylor Wimpey and Barwood Land, was described as a “unique place-making opportunity” which would become a “highly attractive, sustainable, mixed use new community” in documents submitted with the scheme – then known as Gamston Fields.

Stephen Teagle, chief executive for partnership and regeneration at Vistry, said: “Our ambition is not just to deliver homes, but to create a sustainable, well-connected neighbourhood shaped by and for the community.

“We want Gamston to be a new place that PlacePoint and the residents can be proud of.”

Jennifer Murray, director for products, equity and partnerships at the National Housing Bank, added: “This joint venture brings together the expertise and long-term vision required to unlock complex sites such as Gamston.

“By working collaboratively with partners, we can accelerate the delivery of high-quality homes, alongside the infrastructure and services that underpin thriving places, while ensuring development responds to local priorities and ambitions.”