Breck acquires 21-acre Ravenhead Brickworks site for 300 new homes

Breck has completed the acquisition of the 21-acre former Ravenhead Brickworks site in Upholland, West Lancashire, as part of its plans to deliver high-quality homes across the North West.

The disused brownfield site was formerly operated by UK brickmaker, Ibstock, and decommissioned in 2023.

It will be transformed into a new residential community of approximately 300 homes, subject to planning approval, and will be Breck’s largest development to date.

 Breck funded the unconditional acquisition from its internal cash reserves. The developer aims to submit a detailed planning application by the end of 2025.

 Headquartered in Walton Summit in Lancashire, Breck currently has a development pipeline of around 2,000 homes across the North.

 Andy Garnett, director at Breck, said: “The acquisition is part of our commitment to regenerating communities across the North by identifying and unlocking strategic land opportunities. As a well-funded business, we are able to act quickly when sites like Ravenhead come to market. We have purchased the potential development site without any existing planning permission at our risk.

"Although the site presents technical challenges, we are confident in our technical ability to transform it into a thriving community. This project will also create a boost to the local economy by offering opportunities for sub-contractors and apprentices, something we ensure happens across all our sites.

 “We look forward to progressing our plans for the site later in the year.”

 Nick Spence, planning and estates manager for the Ibstock Group, said: ‘‘We have enjoyed working with the highly professional and proactive team at Breck, and are delighted the land will be used to create a new community in the northern region of the country.

 “We also take pride in ensuring we continue the ongoing maintenance and restoration work of the nearby quarry area which will remain part of the Ibstock estate.”

 The Ravenhead acquisition comes as Breck expands its presence across the North. It is in the process of opening a new Leeds office as part of its expansion into Yorkshire.

 Breck recently submitted plans for its first three schemes in the county for planning permission, all located in Bradford, which together will deliver 107 affordable homes.

 Ibstock was advised on the disposal by national planning and development firm, Newmark.

The news comes after Lancashire Business View reported earlier this year that Breck was planning to deliver more than 250 new homes between February 2025 and January 2026.

The company delivered around 240 homes in its past financial year, which ran from February 1 2024 to January 31 2025, and it was set to exceed this figure in the coming 12 months as part of its continued growth across the North.

 Breck was formed in 2020 and works in partnership with registered affordable housing providers to bring forward new high-quality homes.

It also has an open market development arm, which focuses on land promotion and the development of special projects from luxury homes to retail developments.