The first image and details of a flagship, eco-friendly housing scheme at Liverpool’s iconic Festival Gardens – which could see several hundred new homes created near to the Mersey waterfront – have been revealed. Liverpool City Council is seeking to create an innovative and sustainable multi-generational neighbourhood on one of England’s biggest brownfield plots, which would complete the radical conversion of a former landfill site. In a report to Liverpool City Council Cabinet next week, approval is being sought to enter into a development agreement with award-winning companies Urban Splash and igloo Regeneration. They were chosen following a procurement process launched last Autumn and together have established a joint-venture company which proposes to deliver 34 different styles of build on the stunning riverside location. The report outlines a scheme which aims to maximise the use of renewable energy sources and cutting-edge construction techniques to minimise its carbon footprint, with a design approach that would showcase “a festival of housing”. Pending Cabinet approval, it’s expected a planning application for phase one to be submitted in late 2026 for the creation of 440 homes. This would include 80 extra care and 110 affordable homes – far surpassing the Council’s 20% target. If approved, build would begin in Spring 2027, with phase two and three to follow providing up to 800 homes in total. The proposed scheme, which has the backing of Homes England and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, would see an un-parallelled blend of diverse designs to accommodate a multitude of needs such as co-housing, social rent, mixed tenure family homes, retirement living and self-build. The groundbreaking project would celebrate both the legacy of the 1984 International Garden Festival and build on the colossal remediation of the 27-acre development zone. That saw more than 95% of the excavated materials recycled which in turn led to the creation of a new 37-acre park – Liverpool’s first of the 21st century. The planning application would follow a major public consultation exercise which would also feature in-depth detail on community facilities, high quality public open space and other infrastructure to cater for the needs of a growing residential and working population. The diversity of housing offer will come from several sub-developers that form part of the wider Urban Splash and igloo team. Extra care will be delivered by Alpha Living, affordable homes by the Regenda Group. Co-housing by TOWN with MMC provided by Starship. Urban Splash Residential Fund, Urban Splash and igloo will also deliver elements of scheme.   Reaction Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “We have always wanted to deliver an amazing housing scheme befitting this stunning location. And I think the plans outlined in this report show that the ambition to do something truly special at Festival Gardens can and will be delivered. “The team of developers we’re looking to work with have a fabulous track record in delivering outstanding innovative and sustainable projects of the highest order. I can’t wait for our residents to see more details over the coming months and for them to have their input before the planning application is submitted next year.” Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Festival Gardens has the potential to be one of the most exciting and transformational brownfield developments in the country – and I’m delighted to see it moving forward. “This is about more than just bricks and mortar, it’s about building the kind of place that people are proud to call home. We’re laying the foundations for a thriving new neighbourhood that reflects the kind of future we want to build – inclusive, innovative, and with our residents at its heart.” Jonathan Falkingham, MBE, co-founder of Urban Splash, said: “Festival Gardens is one of Liverpool’s biggest opportunities. It’s a huge privilege to have been selected as the city’s development partner on the creation of this new riverside neighbourhood. Our aim is to create a place for everyone and embrace the spirit of the original Garden Festival – showcasing outstanding housing design, innovative landscape strategies for healthier living, and building on the arts and cultural programme initiated 40 years ago. “We’re excited to work alongside our partners Alpha Living, Regenda, Town and Starship, together with six of the UK’s leading housing architects, Liverpool City Council, wider stakeholders and the local community to deliver an exemplar project that the city can be proud of, and we look forward to sharing more details of the project in the near future.” Peter Connolly, chief executive at igloo Regeneration said: “Festival Gardens is a landmark project that will create lasting impact for the city region, with a thriving new neighbourhood offering a diverse mix of homes to support people at every stage of life. It also brings together, under the JV’s leadership, a pioneering coalition of developers with a shared commitment to transform this iconic site into a community that’s sustainable, inclusive and built to last.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Plans to regenerate one of the largest brownfield sites in the West Midlands and build a new, 600 home community have reached a key milestone. Sandwell Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) haveappointed top 10 housebuilder Keepmoat as their preferred developer to construct the Friar Park Urban Village scheme in Wednesbury. The appointment follows a selection process which has been progressed since January 2024 and ending with Sandwell Council Cabinet approval at the end of July. The scheme, a joint project between the council and WMCA, will see around 600 homes built on the huge site, approximately the size of 32 football pitches. At least 25% of the homes will be classed affordable. The site, which is joint owned by the council and WMCA, has been home to a waste treatment plant, a foundry and hospital in the past but has lain undeveloped for more than 40 years due to the complexity involved in making the land ready for housing. Cllr Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Infrastructure said: “It’s great to see another step forward in our ambitious plans to regenerate Sandwell and to be able to offer more jobs, homes, green space and infrastructure to our residents. “This project will be genuinely collaborative between the WMCA, Keepmoat, the Council and local residents. We will work hard to ensure that we deliver a site which is a real asset to the Borough and something which improves quality of life.” Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “I’m pleased to see more progress on this project. “This is not an easy site to bring forward, but when I met with the Environment Agency, they assured me they are treating our land clean-up plans as a top priority now. That matters because thousands of families need a safe, warm home and this site can deliver 600 of them. “The appointment of Keepmoat is a real step forward. They can now start designing a new community that will help meet our housing needs, create jobs and support the regeneration set out in my Growth Plan.” Keepmoat is a leading housebuilder and has achieved 5-star builder status in the National Home Builders Federation (HBF) Awards.  It is also a strategic partner of the WMCA with the two organisations signing an agreement in 2023 under which Keepmoat committed to building 4,000 additional homes in the West Midlands. Charlotte Goode, Divisional Chair at Keepmoat added: “We’re thrilled to be working collaboratively with the WMCA and Sandwell Council to unlock this complex brownfield site. “At Keepmoat, we’re committed to transforming lives and creating a thriving new community in Wednesbury is an exciting project to deliver much-needed high quality housing for local people. “As brownfield specialists, with almost 70 percent of our current developments being delivered on brownfield land, the plans to breathe new life into Friar Park will champion affordability, accessibility, green space and connectivity. We have a strong relationship with the West Midlands Combined Authority and we’re immensely looking forward to continuing our work together on this flagship regeneration project with Sandwell Council.” The first phase of work on Friar Park Urban Village will be to treat the land to address historic contamination issues so that it can be made ready for housebuilding. A planning application will be submitted by the Council and WMCA for the remediation work shortly and will be available for public comment. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Chelmsford City Council has begun the hunt for a development partner to help deliver the £250m regeneration of Chelmer Waterside, one of the city’s most significant brownfield sites. Formerly home to the town’s gas works, the site has been rebranded as Chelmer Waterside and is now primed for transformation into a residential-led neighbourhood. Recent infrastructure improvements, including a new pedestrian bridge linking the site to the city centre in under five minutes, have unlocked the area’s potential for large-scale development. Chelmsford City Council said the scheme could deliver between 770 and 1,000 new homes across six hectares, with phases designed around apartment-led blocks. Work has already begun on relocating the existing gas pressure reduction system, due to complete in early 2026, while remediation and decontamination of the former gasworks land will form a key part of the early programme. Some housebuilders, including Taylor Wimpey, have already delivered homes on adjoining parts of the wider waterside area. The council is now seeking a lead partner to accelerate the main residential development. The procurement process will shortlist up to three bidders from an initial questionnaire stage, who will then move into dialogue and negotiation before final tenders are submitted. The winning bidder will enter into a preferred developer agreement to confirm delivery commitments. A council spokesperson said the vision for Chelmer Waterside is to create a vibrant new residential community that makes the most of its riverside setting, while supporting wider regeneration and growth across the city. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

London Councils has urged the government to reconsider key elements of plans to reform council funding in its response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation, which closed recently (Friday 15 August). In particular, the cross-party group highlighted the need to accurately measure the capital’s high levels of deprivation, with the impact of housing costs properly factored in. Boroughs argue ‘flawed’ deprivation measures risk undermining the government’s aim of ensuring funding follows need. For example, the deprivation measure currently proposed gives ‘road distance to a post office’ equal weighting to levels of homelessness – suggesting these factors have the same level of impact on deprivation in a community [1].  London Councils has also raised concerns about: The government’s reforms, which set out a new approach to distributing funding between local authorities in England, are due to be implemented from 2026/27 and will have a major long-term impact on council finances. While London Councils welcomes the government’s commitment to target areas of high deprivation when allocating funding, the cross-party group says the proposed deprivation measures do not sufficiently factor in housing poverty – with potentially devastating consequences for London boroughs’ future budgets. Housing costs take up the largest portion of most household spending. How much someone pays for housing has a significant impact on their disposable income, and the wider impact of housing availability and homelessness is a significant driver of deprivation. However, the government plans to use the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to measure deprivation, which fails to account for these impacts as it does not adequately reflect housing poverty. Housing poverty is a particular concern for the capital, where one in 50 Londoners is currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, and one in four London households is living in poverty when housing costs are taken into account. Cllr Claire Holland, Chair of London Councils, said: “We have long called for reform to local government funding to ensure money is distributed fairly on the basis of need. However, the current proposals risk failing to achieve this. After more than a decade of structural underfunding, rising demand and skyrocketing costs, the impact on London could be severe. “It is right to focus resources on areas with the highest levels of deprivation, but we can’t ignore deprivation in the capital – London has the highest rate of poverty in the country once housing costs are factored in. It is difficult to explain how proximity to a post office affects someone’s life as much as homelessness, yet these factors are given equal weighting under the current proposals. “As the government considers the responses to the consultation, we will continue working with them to ensure we create a funding regime that genuinely matches resources to need and helps restore financial stability to the sector. This is critical to us delivering on our shared priorities, including building homes, creating jobs and driving economic growth.” London Councils is urging the government to amend its proposals so that the new funding formula is robust and accurately measures levels of need for local services. Councils in London already have the widest funding gap of any region in the country. Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) previously found an estimated 17% gap between funding need and the actual levels of local government funding across the whole of London. Recent analysis by the IFS found that “regionally London is the biggest loser” under the current funding reform proposals. Boroughs are facing a funding shortfall of at least £500m this year and nearly one in four (seven) currently rely on emergency borrowing measures through the government’s Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) scheme – the highest rate of any region in the country. London Councils’ modelling of proposed funding reforms suggests a majority of the London boroughs currently reliant on EFS will actually see their funding shares decrease under the current proposals. Without sufficient funding to meet the demand and cost of delivering services in the capital, the cross-party group warns that more councils risk needing EFS. London Councils’ briefing on the Fair Funding Review 2.0 proposals can be found here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals