Duncan Armstrong-Payne, Development Manager for Waverley, spoke to a range of members from the Royal Town Planning Institute at the AMP recently as part of a special centenary series highlighting key brownfield developments.
The talk formed part of the South Yorkshire Coalfield ‘Back in Business’ seminar – the 8th in the series. Entitled ‘Yorkshire’s Greatest Planning Achievements – the 1980s’, it focused on contrasting approaches to regeneration in the Yorkshire coalfields, comparing the large scale public/private sector investment approach – embodied in a number of Harworth’s schemes -with the community ethos of the regeneration of coalfield communities.
Armstrong-Payne gave a detailed overview of the remediation work undertaken on the former Orgreave Colliery and coking works, including the decade-long process required to create development platforms and the latest position on housebuilding. Delegates heard that the £10.95m loan received from the HCA in early 2014 has sped up development, with the creation of a new estate road and new services allowing housebuilders to bring forward their next phases. he also revealed that he expected the 250th home to be occupied by the end of 2014.