Plans to redevelop Daniels Industrial Estate in Stroud have taken a significant step forward as Gloucester-based developer, Newland Homes, has officially purchased the site and is poised to start demolition and groundworks this year.
Last year, Stroud District Council gave the green light to Newland Homes’ plans to transform the brownfield land between Bath Road and Dudbridge Road into 111 low and zero carbon homes, encompassing 88 two and three bedroom terraced, semi-detached and detached homes and 23 one and two bed apartments.
The low and zero carbon homes will be equipped with the latest renewable technology for heat and power. Air source heat pumps will heat the houses in lieu of gas boilers and properties will benefit from a significant array of high-performance solar panels to generate electricity. Buildings have been orientated to maximise solar gain and will be constructed with high levels of insulation to deliver significant energy savings. Furthermore, wiring provision for electric car charging points will be provided. All these initiatives far surpass the UK’s existing building regulations.
Andrew Billings, Land Director at Newland Homes, commented: “Redevelopment has been a long time coming, and we’re eager to start regenerating the site to create a desirable collection of design-led, sustainable homes. Our award-winning zero carbon homes are widely recognised as the future for housing and we’re pleased to be able to bring these to Stroud.”
Daniels Industrial Estate was first identified for redevelopment in 2018 and the previous owners, Industrial Sales Limited, worked with the few remaining tenants of the leased buildings to help facilitate their relocation. Many of the office and industrial units had lain unoccupied for many years, making it an ideal redevelopment location, sustainably located less than a mile from Stroud town centre and within easy reach of public transport links, including Stroud Railway Station.
The seven acre site will deliver the next generation of sustainable homes. The homes will be contemporary in design, with architectural references which pay heed to the industrial and metal fabricating history of the site, such as the use of red brick with large window openings, brick detailing around front doors and bespoke metal door canopies.
There will also be significant ecological enhancements with hedgehog highways, bird and bat boxes, and areas of tree and wildflower planting to improve opportunities for wildlife. Two new landscaped spaces will be created for recreational use, and tree planting around the perimeter of the site will help ensure privacy for nearby properties, as well as create an attractive road frontage and improve biodiversity.
The Fern House Offices, Gate House and the B&Q store will be retained on site, with their associated employment. The existing site entrance from Dudbridge Road will remain and a second entrance point for cars will be created on Bath Road.
Newland Homes is an independent housebuilder and the company began in Cheltenham in 1991, before relocating to Barnwood on the outskirts of Gloucester. Another of Newland Homes’ zero carbon schemes, called St George’s Mead in Semington, Wiltshire, has just been recognised in the WhatHouse? Awards 2023 as Best Sustainable Development. These awards are known as the ‘Oscars’ of the housebuilding industry, and Newland Homes was praised for its robust approach to climate change and its carbon neutral agenda.
For further information about Newland Homes, please visit www.newlandhomes.co.uk, call 01452 623000 or follow Newland Homes on socials: @newlandhomes
