Harworth and Sky-House tie up fourth Waverley deal

Construction has started at the mixed-use Olive Lane development in the Waverley masterplan area, where South Yorkshire developer Sky-House is to build 50 homes, along with a headquarters for itself.

Harworth, the specialist in large-scale regeneration projects, is in effect the master-developer at Waverley, which is a 3,000-home masterplan at the former Orgreave colliery and coking works.

In December, it sold a plot for 54 houses at the site to Homes by Honey, one of a sextet of disposals completed in the month.

Planning approval for the Olive Lane scheme was received in November. Along with the Sky-House deal, agreement has been reached with NHS England and Rotherham Council to allow work on the site’s medical centre to start.

A groundbreaking event took place at the site in December, attended by representatives of Harworth, Rotherham Council, the Waverley Community Council, Sky-House and Forge New Homes, which is also building new homes at the Olive Lane scheme.

Also in attendance were contractor Lindum Group, architect CODA, landscape architect PWP Design, civil engineer BE Design, planning consultant Stantec and project/cost manager Edge.

Olive Lane is intended to be a “mixed-use heart of the community” offering convenience retail and cafés and restaurants, alongside the medical centre. It will comprise a new pedestrianised high street with 21,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, linking the Waverley residential neighbourhood with the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

The high street and associated public realm have been designed by CODA.

Olive Lane will become a new social hub for Waverley residents and workers at the AMP further enhancing the amenities already available on site, which include 310 acres of green space, a school, family pub, community garden and learn-to-ride cycle track.

The two-acre land sale to Sky-House will allow it to develop an additional 50 residential units directly adjacent to Olive Lane’s high street, alongside a new HQ and a small amount of retail and leisure space.

The new units will comprise family homes as well as apartments. This is Harworth’s fourth transaction with the regional housebuilder at Waverley, and follows a land sale late in 2022 to allow Sky-House to develop Waverley Central, a new 106-home scheme which also lies adjacent to Olive Lane.

Ed Catchpole, regional director for Yorkshire & Central at Harworth, said: “We are very excited to be starting work on Olive Lane, and to have completed this land sale to Sky-House, a trusted partner who shares our vision for making Waverley an attractive, vibrant and inclusive community.

“We know that many in the local area are excited about this part of Waverley being created, and we look forward to it being a place for those living and working here to come together and shop, eat and drink, or meet with friends.”

Completion of the high street element of the scheme, including the medical centre, is anticipated by the end of 2024, after which fit-out works for the retail and leisure units will begin.

David Cross, founder and director of Sky-House Co, said: “Our fourth deal with Harworth at Waverley is particular exciting as it helps provide the final and most crucial piece of the jigsaw in delivering a true heart of the community.

“Olive Lane fully represents our design-led and low carbon ethos as a business and our decision to move our headquarters there anticipates the vibrant place that it will become.

“Harworth has been instrumental in supporting our growth as an SME housebuilder over the past seven years and we look forward to continuing to work with the company throughout 2024, including in welcoming a range of new tenants for the scheme.”

Jamie Hanson, director at CODA, told Place Yorkshire: “It has been a pleasure to work with Harworth group to deliver this exciting vision for Olive Lane. After several years and two planning applications we are delighted that Olive Lane, the new high street for Waverley, has been granted planning permission.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed working on such a key project alongside a talented design team and an ambitious client to deliver additional amenities to the developing Waverley community. We love working on projects that seek to create beautiful buildings and sustainable neighbourhoods and we feel Waverley is a community that delivers with these principles.”