BLOCWORK, the partnership between Network Rail and property developer bloc Group has completed its first build-to-rent scheme for Grainger plc in Nottingham.
The Barnum – a 348-home scheme situated adjacent to the city’s railway station – was delivered in partnership between blocwork and Grainger, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, and marks the regeneration of a significant area of brownfield land.
The scheme is the first delivered in partnership between blocwork and Grainger, and follows the recent announcement that they will partner again with the potential to deliver some 2,000 new purpose-built BTR homes across sites in major cities across the UK.
Richard Thomas, development director at bloc Group, said: “blocwork was created with the aim of repurposing railway land and buildings into sustainable long-term assets, and The Barnum has been a great project to kick the partnership off.
“As well as the partnership with Network Rail, we’ve worked very closely with Grainger and the contractor Graham to create a development that not only brings much-needed new homes to Nottingham, but also brings life to an area of the city that had previously been restricted to railway infrastructure.”
blocwork specialises in bringing forward sites owned by Network Rail, making use of under-used land and buildings adjacent to railway infrastructure.
Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail said: “Combining Network Rail’s infrastructure experience with the private sector development expertise of bloc Group has proved to be a fruitful partnership, which is clear by the successful launch of The Barnum.
“Delivering developments through Partnerships like blocwork are important for Network Rail Property as we look to build housing and mixed-use regeneration across our brownfield estate in a way that can be accelerated and scaled across our portfolio.”
blocwork is one of several partnerships bloc Group is undertaking, with the aim of sustainably and sensitively regenerating challenging sites for residential development. Alongside the work it is doing with Network Rail, bloc Group has a long-term partnership with the Canal & River Trust, which has delivered hundreds of new homes while providing funds for the upkeep of the nation’s historic rivers and canals.
Richard said: “Our success has been down to our partnership approach with occupiers, property and infrastructure owners. By working closely with the right partners, we can deliver impactful developments that maximise economic and social value from sites that were previously underperforming or underutilised.
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