Rowland Homes snaps up Grappenhall Heys plot

The developer has acquired land in Warrington with planning permission for 172 homes from government body Homes England for an undisclosed sum.

Rowland Homes was granted planning permission from Warrington Council in March to build the residential scheme at Grappenhall Heys. The development will be called Astor Grange and Rowland plans to start construction work on site in early 2021.

The land is split into two parcels totalling around 20 acres, which are accessed separately off Astor Drive and Litchfield Avenue respectively.

The planned scheme also includes open space, landscaping and footpath links to adjacent green infrastructure.

The site is located south-east of Stockton Heath and adjacent to the Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden as well as its village green and woodland.

Rowland, a privately owned housebuilder based in Lancashire, was appointed onto Homes England’s Delivery Partner Panel in 2017 and later selected as the preferred delivery partner for the first phase of development at Grappenhall Heys after submitting detailed proposals for the site.

The wider Grappenhall Heys site spans around 49 acres and has been earmarked to provide around 400 homes in Warrington’s local plan.

Jonathan Pickthall, land director at Rowland Homes, said: “This is an important acquisition for [us] and will provide further high quality housing in South Warrington for an array of purchasers.

“We have worked hard with Homes England to produce a scheme that will benefit local people and meet housing demand in a priority area in the region.

“The acquisition builds upon Rowland’s progress in recent years and furthers our track record in working with major landowners across the North West.”

JLL was the selling agent for the deal and De Pol Associates was the planning consultant for the reserved matters application approved in March.