Land purchased for 5,500-home new town

Planning permission was granted in November for Sherford, five miles from Plymouth city centre. A consortium of developers, made up of Taylor Wimpey, Linden Homes and Bovis Homes, has formed.

Construction work will start on the site later this year and the first wave of development will see 2,750 homes. At least 550 of those will be affordable.

The project has had an investment of up to £32 million from the Homes and Communities Agency. The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community has created a design code to which future planning applications will be judged.

James Koe, Sherford spokesperson, says: ‘We are delighted to have completed the transfer of all land to facilitate delivery by this very capable consortium, which is a significant milestone in the life of Sherford.

‘A tremendous amount of work has gone into ensuring that Sherford is sustainable – this means that it must be delivered commercially, it must be a place that people want to live in and must not only survive but thrive.’

Colin Molton, HCA Executive Director for the South and South West, said: ‘This vitally important development will make a huge difference in meeting the need for new and affordable homes in Devon and Plymouth and provide a major boost to the South West’s economy.

‘After years of work by partners to get to this stage, this is going to be a big year for Sherford. I am looking forward to seeing work starting on site soon.’

A strong focus on the quality and energy performance of the buildings will offer the opportunity to lower energy demand and reduce homeowners’ energy bills and the development will include site wide and neighbourhood renewable energy generation.

When complete, Sherford will be home to more than 12,000 residents.