Countryside Properties has been selected by the Homes and Communities Agency to regenerate the former Runwell Hospital between Battlesbridge and Rettendon in Essex.
The redevelopment of the 200-acre site of is expected to include up to 575 homes, together with up to 28,000 sq ft of offices, shops, community centre and pub. There will also be land for a primary school.
Countryside Properties’ vision for Runwell is to create a new neighbourhood in a parkland setting. There will be a range of homes to meet local housing needs with open market family homes, low-cost and affordable housing.
The HCA gained a resolution to grant outline planning consent in March. The project benefitted in 2011 from government funding as part of a wider initiative to dispose of surplus public sector land.
Mike Goulding, senior area manager at the HCA for Essex and Kent, said: “Runwell is a really good example of how government land can be used for local benefit. The houses that will be built here and the related roads and community facilities will really benefit the local area and turn what was a disused hospital into an integral part of the local community.”
