The former Beko factory site on Station Road in Yate is to be sold and be redeveloped to deliver new homes and space for businesses, following a successful competitive bidding process for the council-owned land.
The development 5.7 hectare (14.1 acre) site will also see new public open spaces, additional parking to support existing local firms, be well connected to both Yate Station and the town centre, and preserve key elements of its heritage.
Around 190 new homes, of which 48 per cent will be Affordable Homes, will help to bring the important brownfield site back into productive use for the local community. New buildings for businesses will also be delivered, helping to generate new local jobs.
The council worked with local people and other stakeholders to set out it’s aspirations for the site, which has a long and historic place in Yate’s story.
It called for plans that would:
- Make a significant contribution to the supply of new housing, and that at least 35 per cent of the homes should be affordable
- Provide opportunities for people living locally to work locally
- To recognise the site’s history and heritage.
The council actively negotiated with the bidders to get the best possible outcomes for Yate, and the successful proposals undertake to deliver in each of these areas.
While the development of a key brownfield site will meet many planning policy objectives, one of the most exciting prospects will be the preservation of important WW2-era heritage on the site. Invisible from Station Road, a subterranean First Aid bunker sits below the ground, which will be protected and made available for visitors to learn more about the era and Yate’s place in history.
The sale of the land will generate an important cash sum for the council, which will more than recoup what it paid for it in 2021, with the total value of the deal, expected to be in excess of £10 million, to be agreed once S.106 agreements, which support local infrastructure and services are negotiated.
The developer is expected to begin public engagement about their proposals after the summer and submit its full planning application before the end of the year. Local people will be able to comment on the plans before they are considered by the council.
South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, councillor Adam Monk, said: “We have run a successful and competitive marketing process to attract bids for this land, which will deliver for Yate and the council’s budget.
“The option we have approved for the sale will bring in a useful, multi-million pound cash injection, as well as delivering new homes that people can afford, with the infrastructure, parking and connectivity to local transport and services to go alongside them.
South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Planning, Regeneration, and Infrastructure, Cllr Chris Willmore, said: “The site has been through many stages of evolution as part of Yate, and these proposals will be the next generation. I am delighted that some of the past, particularly the First Aid bunker, will be preserved as we look forward to a new future.
“This approach exemplifies what brownfield development should look like; something that meets the needs of our existing community, not purely the profits of developers, and that brings old places to new life.
“New and existing local businesses will be helped with the addition of more parking; new public open spaces will be opened up; and new routes to connect new and existing homes with the station and the town centre will make this development a boost for Yate.”
The decision to sell the property was taken by South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet on Monday 13 July. For more information, see the papers for Item 16: https://council.southglos.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=134&MId=17315.
