SEEDA may be unlikely to embark on any new developments, but what does the future hold for the schemes left behind in the wake of its demise? Karen Day investigates
The ship has sailed for the South East England Development Agency. But as the clock counts down until April 2012, when the RDA will be officially disbanded, uncertainty surrounds the schemes it will leave behind.
SEEDA used its considerable investment muscle to buy vast amounts of derelict or contaminated land to kickstart regeneration around the Solent coast. The jury is out on just how effective this strategy has been, but it leaves behind a number of major schemes that are in danger of stalling without co-ordination, continued investment and political leadership.
Southampton riverside: SEEDA had plans to redevelop 31 acres on the banks of the River Itchen
Woolston Riverside, Southampton
Size 31 acres on the east bank of the River Itchen
SEEDA involvement SEEDA bought the former shipyard from Vosper Thornycroft in 2003. It works with the Homes and Communities Agency and Southampton city council.
The plan 1,620 homes (25% affordable), a marine employment quarter with office and production facilities, mixed-use office and retail spaces, a food store, a hotel, restaurants and cafés.
Progress Construction began on the first phase in July. A £6m infrastructure scheme will provide spine roads and a decentralised energy system, while developer Crest Nicholson is building 170 homes, including 92 houses and 76 apartments, on Centenary Quay.
Progress on the marine quarter, which makes up one-third of the scheme, has stalled. Luxury yacht builder Palmer Johnson was given detailed planning permission for the site after SEEDA spent a lot of time wooing the company. It was expected to start production last year. But in August it confirmed that the site is under review and it is not now expected to take up the option. It has also cut jobs in its Hythe Marine Park site after failing to build a yacht there for two years. The company was expected to create 800 jobs at Woolston.
SEEDA’s demise Agents in Southampton concur that this was one site that SEEDA should have left to the market. It outbid Barratt for the land, has taken seven years to bring anything forward and put all its eggs in the Palmer Johnson basket. Crest Nicholson declined to comment on the future of its parts of the scheme, and the marine quarter is now up in the air.
Craig Powell, associate director of Chesterton Humberts, says the council now needs to be proactive. He says that the original scheme for mixed-use commercial development would be attractive. “There is still strong demand for boat repair and storage,” he says.
East Cowes project – part of the regeneration of Cowes waterfront
Size 40 acres of former industrial land, East Cowes, Isle of Wight
SEEDA involvement Landowner
The plan New town centre and waterfront, including 500 homes, 113,000 sq ft of marine workspace, retail, bars, restaurants, a medical centre and two hotels.
Progress SEEDA has shortlisted development partners and submitted a planning application for a 300-berth marina. Barratt Homes is expected to start construction on the first 180 homes shortly. Waitrose will start building a store next year, more than a year later than scheduled, creating 160 jobs. Funding has also been secured for a medical centre.
SEEDA’s demise East Cowes is not expected to stall, with many of the deals, paperwork and funding already in place. “This is one project where SEEDA has done an awful lot of work in pulling it together,” says Jason Webb, partner at King Sturge. “Everything is in motion and this is one place where it [SEEDA] has fundamentally made a difference.”
Tipner – the gateway into Portsmouth
Size 54-acre brownfield site
SEEDA involvement Jointly controls or owns the land with Tipner Regeneration Company
The plan The masterplan includes a motorway junction, 1,600 homes (30% affordable), 25,000 sq ft of retail and offices, a hotel, a residential tower, waterside space, and a 1,800-space car park for access to the city centre.
Progress The site has been the bane of the city council for a number of years and previous attempts to regenerate it have failed. The former Royal Navy site was used to break up old naval vessels and is heavily contaminated.
The Tipner Regeneration Company has put in two planning applications, including up to 518 homes, a combined heat and power plant and a sea wall. These will not be approved until 2011 at the earliest.
SEEDA demise Without SEEDA’s considerable investment in remediating and decontaminating the site, agents expect Tipner to be on the back burner for some time.
Daedalus, Gosport
Size 197 acres
SEEDA involvement Bought the former MoD site in Gosport in 2006
Plan At masterplanning stage. It is expected to include employment and business accommodation.
Progress Still a derelict site, with SEEDA maintaining some costs through renting out aircraft hangars as storage facilities. There is some frustration that SEEDA has sat on the site, despite its £14.6m investment.
SEEDA demise Depending on the Local Enterprise Partnership being agreed, ownership of the land is likely to change hands by 2012. There are concerns that there will be a development hiatus during the transition with limited opportunities to take Daedalus forward. Its future will depend on the will of SEEDA’s replacement and market interest.
