St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, has been selected by Dyson Group plc as its promotional partner for the preparation and ultimate disposal of some of its surplus land assets.
Following a programme of restructuring within its refractory manufacturing operations, Dyson retain a number of under-utilised or disused sites. Five of these sites have been placed within the Dyson/St. Modwen partnership:
• Former open cast coal and clay workings adjacent to Mount Pleasant Works in Woodville, South Derbyshire
• Former brickworks at Totley, Sheffield
• Former brickworks at Stannington, Sheffield,
• Former kiln furniture works at Hartshill, Stoke on Trent
• Former clay workings in Church Gresley in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire.
St. Modwen will be carrying out preparatory works to secure planning consents for a range of land uses with a view to facilitating sales over the next 5 or so years.
Leading the overall project for St. Modwen is Midlands Regional Director, John Dodds: “We are very excited by the prospect of working in partnership with the Dyson Group to make best use of their assets by promotion through the planning process. We have an exceptional track record of successful partnerships and joint ventures to unlock enhanced value for our partners.
“Delivering regeneration through partnership is our core business and this extensive portfolio offers us an opportunity to work with the Dyson Group across our regional offices in Yorkshire, North Staffordshire and The Midlands with the support of our central construction, planning and residential teams.”
Assisted by Property Consultants, Titchmarsh & Co Ltd of Leeds, Dyson had been seeking a specialist partner to ensure its redundant ceramic manufacturing sites could be put to a viable and effective use in the future. Mark Lomas is property director at Sheffield-based Dyson: “Retirement of some of our traditional ceramic manufacturing operations left us with bespoke facilities for which alternative uses are not suitable. We chose St. Modwen to prepare and promote these sites because they are a remarkably good fit, not only in terms of their regeneration skills, but also their presence and track record in the three geographic areas that these sites are located in”.
Each individual project will be run with the direct involvement of St. Modwen’s respective Regional Directors; John Dodds in Birmingham, Mike Herbert in Stoke on Trent and Stephen Prosser in Leeds. Activity on each site will include master planning, public consultation, scheme design, promotion of the sites and eventual site disposal.