Representatives from Clowes Developments have welcomed Michelle Welsh, MP for Sherwood Forest, to Harrier Park, Hucknall, a site rooted in the region’s aerospace and engineering legacy, as part of a continued commitment to champion regional regeneration, job creation, and inward investment. Michelle Welsh MP toured the Harrier Park site on Wednesday 8th October to see first-hand the transformational progress being made at the former Rolls-Royce site by the new owners, Clowes Developments. Once a dormant industrial area, Harrier Park is now emerging as a key strategic employment hub for the East Midlands and further afield with major investment unlocking opportunities for local and national businesses of varying sizes. During the visit, discussions focused on celebrating Hucknall’s rich aerospace heritage (including the site’s link to the Rolls-Royce Harrier Jump Jet Engine and the creation of the nearby Hucknall Flight Test Museum), the socio-economic impact of regenerating previously brownfield land, the scale and ambition of Clowes Developments’ investment (providing infrastructure and enabling occupation with a 36-week delivery programme), and attracting high-value occupiers and creating hundreds of skilled jobs, utilising a healthy local work force in logistics, manufacturing, engineering, and office-based roles. Michelle Welsh MP said: “Harrier Park is a shining example of how we can honour our industrial past while building a strong, sustainable future. This regeneration brings real opportunity for Hucknall and the wider Ashfield area, through jobs, investment and innovation.” Kevin Webster, associate development director at Clowes Developments, added: “It was a pleasure to welcome Michelle Welsh MP to Harrier Park and share the progress we’ve made. “We’ve worked hard to expedite the site’s potential and create a high-quality, strategically located development that meets the needs of today’s businesses. This isn’t just about building, it’s about long-term economic growth, skilled employment and putting Hucknall firmly on the map as a place where business can thrive.” Clowes Developments are working in partnership with FHP Property Consultants and Fisher German to market the site with units available from 60,000 to 206,000 sq ft.

Progress is being made on Bassetlaw District Council’s government funded regeneration projects.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (14 October), members received an update on several major proposed projects including the Priory Centre and the Creative Village in Worksop, and the North Border School site in Harworth and Bircotes.

They also approved funding adjustments within the Local Regeneration Fund following revised government guidance on delivery timelines and fund distribution.

Cllr Steve Scotthorne, cabinet member for identity, planning and place, said: “These proposed regeneration projects show our continued commitment to deliver developments with real benefits for our communities from accessing services, new facilities, and education provision to town centre improvements.

“From the Priory Centre to the Creative Village Heritage building, we look forward to these projects making good progress over the coming months ahead, subject to planning consents.”

The redevelopment of the Priory Centre aims to create a more modern family focused leisure facility including entertainment and shopping alongside improved pedestrian links, public spaces and a new canal footbridge.

It has already achieved milestones including the appointment of a construction partner, with pre-enabling works on utilities scheduled to take place from November onwards and demolition works planned for early 2026.

It follows delays caused by several different factors including a number of conditions attached to the planning approval that needed to be agreed and discharged before any development could begin.

A new Health Hub is also proposed in the Priory Centre, subject to planning, with an NHS tenant identified to take up part of the building, while early designs for the space have also been produced.

Also going through the planning process is a proposal to extend the Creative Village on Canal Road in Worksop with a second phase.

If approved it will create up to ten educational workshop spaces focused on key growth sectors such as construction, green technologies, and logistics. It hopes to raise educational attainment and expand access to high-skilled, well-paid employment opportunities across the district.

Finally, plans for affordable housing to be built on the former North Border School site in Harworth and Bircotes continue, with planning permission for demolition work granted and an additional planning application submitted to clear the full site to prepare for development.

Plans for the next stage of development at Towcester Park in West Northamptonshire have been recommended for approval, signalling continued progress on one of the region’s largest employment sites.

Developer IM Properties has submitted detailed proposals for two industrial units measuring around 50,000 and 131,000 square feet within Zone B of the 45-acre site. The applications are expected to be reviewed by West Northamptonshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee later this month.

The wider Towcester Park scheme, which received hybrid planning approval in 2022, is designed to deliver around 1,464 full-time equivalent jobs once fully operational. Earlier this year, detailed plans for two large facilities in Zone C—covering 161,000 and 468,000 square feet—were granted permission following a comprehensive planning review.

The development aims to enhance industrial and logistics capacity in the East Midlands, an area experiencing high demand for modern employment space. If approved, construction on the new units would represent another significant step in implementing the park’s long-term master plan and enhancing the region’s commercial infrastructure.