£50m village centre plan for Waverley

The complex at Waverley – now a vast 740-acre brownfield site – could include a supermarket, medical centre, bus station, hotel, gym, farmers’ market and restaurants.

The 12-acre scheme would create much-needed village centre for the reclaimed site, which has 600 homes and a pub.

It is developed by landowner Harworth Group and Dransfield Properties, the firm behind the £50m Fox Valley shopping centre in Stocksbridge. A planning application is due to be submitted in spring.

Mark Dransfield, managing director of Dransfield Properties, said: “This is a really exciting project to be involved with. We are delighted to work alongside Harworth, bringing our team’s experience and knowledge of delivering retail developments to this new community.

“Waverley is an exciting development which has great potential for creating a high-quality retail and leisure environment, designed to support the growing community and the wider region. We look forward to being a part of this project.”

Owen Michaelson, chief executive of Harworth Group plc, said “We are delighted to partner with Dransfield for this significant development on our flagship site, given their track record across the UK and their absolute focus on quality.

“We expect the local centre to become central to the Waverley community, as it co-joins the AMP and the residential area, offering a range of essential facilities and bringing hundreds of job opportunities to the region.”

The Waverley site also includes the Advanced Manufacturing Park which is home to more than 50 hi-tech businesses including Rolls-Royce and Boeing and is growing fast. Up to 3,400 more homes are set to be built over the next 15 years.

The entire area is designated the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District where firms cluster to share expertise and employees live nearby for ease of access.