Bolsover District Council has broken ground on a £9.6 million project in Shirebrook that will see a new crematorium built. Named Roseland Park & Crematorium, the complex is due to be completed in spring 2025. It will include a main crematorium building, wake facility, florist kiosk and take away refreshments, car parking and both formal memorial gardens and informal parkland that will grow into a beautiful landscape to enhance the biodiversity of the site. Situated next to the existing cemetery in the town, the building work is being carried out by Bolsover District Council’s company, Dragonfly Development Ltd, and is a partnership with Shirebrook Town Council. Consultation has taken place with local funeral directors who gave their support for the project as it will provide a much needed local facility for people instead of them having to travel to Mansfield or Chesterfield to say goodbye to loved ones. Council Leader, Councillor Steve Fritchley said: “It’s been a long time in preparation, but I am delighted to see work starting on site. This is partnership working at its best, as the town council have donated the land and our own company, Dragonfly Development Ltd are building it, for the benefit of local people. “Shirebrook is a great central location for this type of facility and it will save travelling times and enable family and friends to celebrate the lives of their loved ones without feeling rushed. This is the latest in a long line of ambitious projects we have that will help enhance the facilities available to residents of Bolsover District.” Roseland Park and Crematorium is aiming to achieve BREEAM ‘excellent’ accreditation – an environmental accreditation for environmental efficiency. Cabinet Member for Growth, Councillor John Ritchie said: “Providing the district with a brand-new, environmentally friendly crematorium is a hugely important project. We understand the difficulty people in the area face when organising funerals and having to travel long distances. “Saying goodbye to loved ones is never easy and we hope that by providing this facility in Shirebrook, we can make the process a little more straight forward.” The facility will have a positive impact on the local area with the inclusion of eight new jobs to help with the maintenance and continued day-to-day operation of the site. It will also bring about new employment and training opportunities through the construction phase of the project i.e. apprenticeships, local labour clauses.

Unbranded Finance, the UK-based non-bank real estate lender, has closed a new revolving credit facility with Escapade Silverstone to assist with the completion of their flagship £90m development located in the heart of the Silverstone Circuit. The development, which is set to open in Spring 2024, and is already over 85% sold, comprises 60 residences and a trackside clubhouse. It includes a swimming pool, sauna, driver-focused gym, restaurant and roof terrace. Escapade was advised in the transaction by London-based residential and hospitality financing experts, RCP Finance, who were also responsible for arranging the construction financing for another recently completed development at Silverstone. Escapade Silverstone provides the opportunity for individuals and corporates to own a piece of the world-famous Silverstone venue, home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix. Two-, three- and four-bedroom residences are available for purchase, all sitting within the 14-acre Escapade Silverstone site. Located 12 metres from the edge of the track and next to Silverstone’s fastest and most beloved series of corners, the Clubhouse and Trackside Residences have far-reaching views across much of the Silverstone estate. Owners will be able to uniquely benefit from the hospitality returns generated from the 1.2 million+ visitors that are attracted to Silverstone each year, the 7 million visitors that head to nearby Bicester Village, and a central UK location which ensures 50% of the population are within a 90-minute drive. It will also offer a private space to stay and entertain, owners will have year-round access to the Clubhouse and all its amenities, even when not staying overnight, as well as priority access to the legendary tarmac and tickets to all events. Unbranded co-founder, Oliver Holt, said: “Escapade Silverstone is an ambitious, creative and original concept which has proven to be highly successful. With construction now 70% completed, and only a few properties remaining, it demonstrates the huge demand for this motorsport centric ownership and investment opportunity. “We were immediately impressed with Will Tindall and the wider Escapade team’s vision and execution of this exciting project. Unbranded remains committed to providing funding for best-in-class borrowers with high quality property assets like Escapade Silverstone.” Will Tindall, founder and CEO of Escapade, said: “The Unbranded team have personal interests in motorsport, deep knowledge of the hospitality sector, and a strong understanding of the project requirements. “They have proven to be a highly flexible partner, quick to respond, and a pleasure to deal with at each stage. We have now sold over 85% of the properties and are nearing construction completion. We’re looking forward opening in Spring 2024 and being able to work with Unbranded on our future projects.” Christopher Khoi, Managing Director of RCP Finance, said: “I’m thrilled to have teamed up with the Unbranded team and the dynamic Will Tindall at Escapade to put together this financing solution. “We can proudly announce that this is our second successful transaction at the racetrack. We are looking forward to closing more hospitality and lifestyle related financing transactions across the UK, Europe and overseas.”

Countryside Partnerships, part of the Vistry Group, the provider of affordable mixed-tenure homes, has received final planning approvals and signed forward sale agreements with two partners to enable the creation of 217 new homes at Station Island, part of Wellingborough’s Stanton Cross development. The plans will see Countryside partner with registered housing provider Stonewater to deliver 128 of these as affordable homes, which Stonewater will own and manage. A further 89 homes for private rental will be created on a separate new area of land as part of the same scheme and will be owned and managed by the single-family build-to-rent provider, Sigma, taken to market under its Simple Life Homes brand following a further forward-sale agreement. The homes will deliver further much-needed housing for the local area, and form part of a new community which is already well-established at Stanton Cross. As a whole, this flagship neighbourhood, which is situated next to Wellingborough train station, will offer 3,650 new homes alongside leisure and community facilities, shops, offices, a newly opened primary school on Irthlingborough Road, along with a 115-acre Town and Country Park as part of the site’s ongoing green infrastructure planning. The site is responsible for creating more than 3,000 jobs and will drive more than £1bn of investment into the area. Andy Reynolds, Managing Director of Countryside Partnerships South East Midlands, said: “With the final planning consents in place and our partners lined up, we’re ready to turn plans into reality, delivering 217 mixed-tenure new homes for the local community. “Working in partnership, we can make a significant contribution to the area’s affordable housing provision, whilst turning a previously disused area of brownfield land into another important and exciting milestone on the Stanton Cross journey. We’re looking forward to getting underway.” Chris Montague, Development Director (East & North) at Stonewater, added: “As the housing crisis continues, and rising house prices pose significant challenges to those looking to rent or buy their own home, we know that a diverse range of housing and tenures is required to meet this need, and our partnership with Countryside will help to significantly increase the range of housing options and choice available to the benefit of local people in Wellingborough. “Furthermore, the homes will be delivered with a range of modern energy efficiency features, including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, which will bring additional benefits to customers and the wider community.” Jason Berry, Regional MD at Sigma, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with our longstanding partner housebuilder, Countryside Partnerships on yet another development which marks a new area of our build to rent brand, Simple Life Homes. With over 5,500 properties across the UK already, we’re delighted to be offering further local people a high-quality, new-build rental option, teamed with a professional service throughout their tenancy.” Lee Barrett, Divisional Operations Director for Stanton Cross Developments, said: “This partnership further underpins the tremendous progress we are making in creating a major residential-led development that builds a diverse and fully integrated, welcoming community where people want to live, and which allows local people to continue living locally.”

A developer has resubmitted plans to create an outdoor artisan food and drink market in Derby city centre. Burton Abbey Developments has put forward revised plans for The Yard Derby, which would be sited on a small, unused plot of land in St Peter’s Churchyard. Proposals for the food and drink market have been turned down by Derby City Council’s planning committee on two previous occasions. Now, it is hoped that it will be third time lucky for the scheme. The latest submission includes revised plans with alterations to the market’s size and layout compared to previous proposals. The proposal has strong backing from the local business community – including Marketing Derby, which has submitted letters supporting the proposals and the land’s change of use. In the letter supporting the proposal, John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, writes: “Burton Abbey Developments’ proposal to create an artisan food and drink market delivers substantial benefits for an area of the city that is challenged both economically and socially. “It fits with the ambition of Derby City Council in regenerating underused parts of the city and to diversify the daytime and night-time economies.” The new proposal for The Yard Derby involves creating 10 retail units, a reduction from the previous 12. These spaces would be arranged in an ‘L-shaped’ configuration along the southern and western edges of the site, situated away from the Grade II*-listed St. Peter’s Church and the Grade II*-listed Old Grammar School. Additionally, the plans incorporate a seating area with a capacity for up to 100 people. One key aspect of the proposal and location involves the developer’s plan to create an entrance to the new market through the historic 19th-century wall bordering the site. According to Derby City Council, this wall is considered “curtilage listed,” which means it’s not listed as a Grade itself but is a valuable element within an area where Grade Listed structures are present. As a result, it should be treated with the same level of care as the Grade Listed structures in that vicinity. However, in their updated application, Burton Abbey Developments argues that there is room for discussion regarding the wall’s “heritage significance” in the city and are once again advocating for its partial demolition. Marketing Derby’s letter of support states: “This particular piece of land sits on a significant pedestrian thoroughfare for visitors to the new 3,500 capacity performance venue on the regenerated Becketwell site from areas such as Derbion, the bus station and the Market Hall. “The owner seeks to enhance and make reparations to the boundary wall and therefore improve the overall aesthetic from its current dilapidated condition. “While there is an appreciation of the historical significance of the site, the proposed improvements serve to enhance and promote the important heritage. This is proven by the encouraging endorsement of local heritage specialists.”