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Anwyl acquires part of Unilever's R&D site in Bebington for new homes

Written by Anwyl Homes | 8 Oct 2024

We have completed a deal to purchase almost nine acres of land in Bebington, Wirral, from Unilever.

Planning consent is already in place for 127 new homes on a part of Unilever’s Port Sunlight Research & Development site on Quarry Road East.

As part of the planning agreement, the local community will benefit from around £677,000 of contributions, including more than £330,000 to enhance public open space and play provision in the neighbourhood.

We’ve started work on the redevelopment to clear the site to make way for the new homes.

The new venture has been named Lottie Gardens, in tribute to Bebington-born sportswoman Lottie Dod (1871 -1960); a celebrated five-time Wimbledon tennis champion, Olympic silver medal-winning archer and national golf champion.

We’re building a wide mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom designs, including 25 affordable properties, to meet strong demand locally for high quality, energy efficient homes. All homes will have private gardens and off-road parking.

Phil Dolan, chief operating officer for Anwyl Homes, said: “We’re excited to bring forward this brownfield site for redevelopment to provide much-needed market and affordable homes in a sustainable location.

“We’ve carefully designed our homes to ensure they are in keeping with the character of the surrounding community, while boasting high levels of energy efficiency, with top specification insulation and solar panels.

“We’ll also be retaining the woodland on site and creating a new footpath link to St Andrews Road.”

Positioned within an established residential neighbourhood, close to the A41 and major transport links, new residents will benefit from plenty of local amenities.

There are two train stations within walking distance and nearby schools include Stanton Road Primary School and the acclaimed Wirral Grammar Schools.

Under the planning consent’s section 106 agreement, we will make community contributions totalling £677,000. The majority of the circa £330,000 public open space contribution will go towards upgrades at the nearby Mayer Park play area including biodiversity enhancements and tree planting. Funds from us will also be directed by Wirral Council towards improvements at Dibbins Hey play area. Almost £150,000 will be used to improve playing pitches and facilities at Higher Bebington Playing Fields, while around £35,000 will be spent on upgrades at Bebington Oval Leisure Centre. Other contributions include £60,000 to upgrade a subway and £50,000 towards new traffic signals.

The venture in Bebington is our first project in Wirral to deliver private sale homes. We hope to launch sales at Lottie Gardens in spring / summer 2025.