Stanton Regeneration Site Update
If you are interested in the redevelopment of the Stanton Regeneration Site please read the information on this page. Here we set out why we are seeking the regeneration of the site, identify the challenges and opportunities at Stanton and explain our reasons for working with the new owners of the site to deliver a sustainable vision for this area.
Background information
The former Stanton Ironworks site situated to the south of Ilkeston is allocated in our Erewash Borough Local Plan 2005 under policy E4, as a major centre of regeneration for employment purposes, to serve the Borough and the wider region. The site is brownfield land. This means that the site either currently contains existing development or has previously been developed on and is now derelict. We are required by Government to ensure that we use our brownfield land as efficiently as possible for development purposes, to take the pressure off having to use too much greenfield land. Greenfield land is land which has not previously been developed on, such as agricultural fields.
We do not own any land within the Stanton site and we will not be making any financial profits associated with land holdings.
What we have done since 2005
In 2005, we recognised that unless we acted proactively to determine what the main barriers were for its development of the site and found ways to resolve them, the Stanton site was unlikely to benefit from redevelopment and regeneration as an employment site. We decided that we should produce an Area Action Plan (AAP) for that part of the site that was derelict and in need of regeneration. This covered approximately 120 acres in the area nearest to the M1 motorway. At the time of starting the Stanton Area Action Plan, Saint Gobain was still a large employer on the site and therefore the area of land available for redevelopment was only about a third of the whole site. We were successful in obtaining funding from Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership to assist us in producing this study.
In December 2005 we commissioned Taylor Young consultants to assist us in producing an Area Action Plan in accordance with the new Local Development Framework processes and legal procedures. Taylor Young produced a robust and sound draft Area Action Plan based on extensive research and consultation. The draft Plan set out the many constraints of the site and proposed a new vision for its development. In considering the access constraints to the site, the consultants looked at rail, public transport and road transport options. In terms of roads, the draft Area Action Plan put forward three out of eight initial options for further consideration. There was no preferred access route set out in the Area Action Plan and the next step for us was to test each of the access routes in much more detail to see which route was best from a social, economic and environmental perspective.
The draft Plan stated that employment would not come to the site unless the access and utility constraints could be resolved. The draft Plan therefore recommended that in order to regenerate the site and make it attractive to high level employment options, there had to be other development linked to it to enable and effectively finance the solutions to the significant access and utility constraints. The draft Plan therefore recommended that a portion of the site should be considered for residential development. This was a new proposal within the draft Area Action Plan, because previously the site was intended for employment uses.
At the beginning of 2007 we were advised by the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) to delay any further work on the AAP. Concerns were raised by GOEM suggesting that the proposed options for the Stanton site were so major that the scale and mix of land uses and issues raised were of wider significance than the area of the Stanton Regeneration Site alone. GOEM therefore advised us to consider our Borough wide Strategy first- this is called our Core Strategy, as this would set the wider policy context under which the Stanton AAP could then be considered. We therefore had no choice but to put the Area Action Plan on hold. We anticipated continuing with the AAP once our Core Strategy had progressed to a reasonable stage.
New ownership of the site
However, in the summer of 2007 Saint Gobain informed us that they were selling their land holdings on the site with some loss of jobs in the local area.
With this news, we were very concerned about the future of the site and knew that we had to work with whoever bought the site, to ensure that we had a say in what was going to be developed on it.
The site has now changed ownership and the land available for redevelopment has increased significantly. Spring Urban Regeneration (SpringUR) bought 500 acres of the site from Saint Gobain, at the end of December 2007. SpringUR are keen to progress the development of the site as soon as possible and propose to submit an outline planning application for the development of the site by summer 2009. This is much sooner than we originally anticipated. This means that, although we would like to, we can no longer continue with the Area Action Plan as this would take us at least two years to deliver. This is too long a timescale for SpringUR and therefore we must work within the timeframe set by the new owners. We have no ownership control over any of the land within the Stanton site and therefore SpringUR are perfectly within their rights to submit a planning application whenever they wish, as long as it complies with the planning legislation and regulations that are currently in place.
However, notwithstanding this, we have decided not to formally withdraw the Area Action Plan for now, because we feel that the vision and principles set out within it, as developed through extensive consultation, may still be relevant to the site and can be used to influence its future development.
Growth Point status and the Regional Plan
Since first commissioning the Area Action Plan for the site back in 2005, it is clear that other national and regional factors now also impact on the redevelopment of this site.
Erewash is part of the Three Cities and Three Counties (6Cs) area which has been granted the status of a New Growth Point. This followed a bid for New Growth Point status submitted to the Government by the 6Cs Partnership (Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council) in 2006.
The Government’s Growth Point initiative is designed to provide support for large scale and sustainable growth, including new housing within approved areas. Erewash sits within the Nottingham Core Housing Market Area. This area, which also covers the City of Nottingham, Districts and Boroughs of Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe and the Hucknall part of Ashfield, has been allocated £2.6m of Government funding for 2008/09 towards capital projects, to assist the delivery of sustainable growth. Follow these links for further information on the Government's New Growth Point initiative, also known as Partnership for Growth, and for a summary of the Three Cities and Three Counties NGP area.
The Growth Point bid was based on the strategy set out within the draft East Midlands Regional Plan. This proposes that the East Midlands needs to provide significant growth in terms of numbers of houses as well as the social, economic and environmental infrastructure associated with it. Follow this link to find out more about the
Regional Plan.
This national and regional agenda means that Erewash will be required to provide for some of this growth as will the other districts, boroughs and cities within the region. This is why the redevelopment of the Stanton site is important to us.
Access Options
One of the most contentious aspects of developing the Stanton site is in relation to access, specifically road access. Following on from the development of the draft Area Action Plan, we are now currently carrying out a detailed technical highway study in conjunction with the Highways Agency, Derbyshire County Council as our Highways Authority, Nottinghamshire County Council as the neighbouring Highways Authority, Broxtowe Borough Council and SpringUR to find out which of the five road options brought forward is the best option environmentally, socially and economically for the site. We anticipate that this study will be published in the Autumn 2008.
As a Council it is our duty to consider all options, even those that are controversial ones to ensure that we have the evidence and justification in place for when we make the final decision. We have at no time said that we support a specific road solution to access the Stanton brownfield site.
SpringUR are currently purchasing land options for the potential road access but the Council has no involvement in these land acquisitions.
Working with SpringUR
We have no ownership control over any of the land within the Stanton site and therefore SpringUR can submit a planning application whenever they wish, as long as it complies with the planning legislation and regulations that are currently in place.
SpringUR have told us that they propose to submit an outline planning application to us, in summer 2009. This means that we only have a short period of time in which to work with the developer and stakeholders to influence the outcomes of the planning application. We are doing this because, as a planning authority, we are required by Government to work with developers to try to bring forward sustainable and successful schemes.
Although we are working with SpringUR on this project, we have at no time said that we support a specific road solution or development option. We hope that by working with SpringUR on this project, we can bring forward a successful sustainable scheme. Any planning application submitted will be considered by our Planning Committee and details of how the planning process operates can be found by following this link to Development Control.
Consultation
Since purchasing the site, SpringUR have visited local Parish Councils and communities to introduce their company and explain their aspirations for the site. They have also carried out a Design Enquiry week between 9th and 13th June 2008. The purpose of this was to bring all stakeholders together to exchange views and aspirations for the site, explore concerns and attempt where possible to formulate solutions.
Further consultation will occur during the development of the proposals for the site.
When the planning application is submitted next year, there will also be extensive consultation as required under the Planning Act.
Contact Details
To find out more about the regeneration of the Stanton site or to make any comments, please contact the following:
- Email us at stantonregeneration@erewash.gov.uk or write to us at Stanton Regeneration Site, Policy and Development Team, Erewash Borough Council, Town Hall, Long Eaton, NG10 1HU. We will respond to all emails and letters and consider all comments made.
- Contact SpringUR direct by email: rebekah.pascek@ppsgroup.co.uk or phone 020 7529 1716/mobile 07825 312 412
Stanton Area Action Plan Documents 2006 (currently on hold)
Stanton Area Action Plan Final Report
Stanton Area Action Plan - Sustainability Appraisal
Stanton Area Action Plan - Formal Notice
Stanton SA Scoping Report
Options Report May 2006
Emerging Options Report April 2006
Baseline Report
Consultation Workshop Report
Stanton Regeneration Public Exhibition June 2006