Case study
Boots - Nottingham. Brownfield site

Overview

Modular housing company ilke Homes has been selected by Boots to deliver the UK’s largest low-rise modular housing development – a 622-home scheme in Beeston, Nottingham.

The deal, brokered by Blackstar Advisory, will unlock a 43-acre housing site that sits in close proximity to Boots’ UK headquarters and is part of the wider 286-acre Nottingham Enterprise Zone, which was granted its status by the UK Government in 2011.

The UK’s leading health and beauty retailer, part of the Walgreens Boots Alliance Group, selected ilke Homes to develop the site, which has been allocated for residential development since 2014, due to the exemplary design proposals, speed of delivery, and the sustainability credentials which are synonymous with factory-built volumetric homes.

ilke Homes will work with its architects HTA Design to curate a ‘model village’ development that focuses on creating a connection between people and place – building on a high-quality landscape design to support a rich mix of homes in a truly unique setting.

The proposed scheme will seek to deliver 505 houses together with 117 apartments. All the houses will be manufactured along production lines at ilke Homes’ 250,000 sq. ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

By using precision-engineering techniques and digital design, all 505 homes will have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least a ‘B’, making them more energy-efficient than 92 percent of all new-builds in the UK. Higher levels of energy performance are also expected to translate into huge long-term cost savings on energy bills for residents, with the homes being able to run on as little as £1-a-day.

Acting as a full ‘turnkey’ developer, ilke Homes will manage the entire development process – from securing the land deal, and obtaining gaining planning permission, through to developing the site and delivering the homes.

Mark Chivers, director of estates for Boots UK, said:

“We are delighted to partner with ilke Homes to develop this site to provide high-quality, affordable and energy-efficient housing for people in the local area. Because of the historical significance of this site and everything it represents in terms of our company heritage it was vital that we find the right partner. I am pleased that the site will be put to good use and look forward to seeing a thriving community emerge there in the coming years.”

Tim Garratt, CEO of Blackstar Advisory, said:

“This is probably one of the most important and strategically significant residential land deals in a generation for Nottingham. It was clear from the outset of the project that the client wanted something away from the ordinary, not an estate of little boxes. We worked very hard with Ilke Homes and their architects to get a solution which satisfies the positive legacy we wanted.”