Lea Hough’s land and development teams receives national recognition

The land and development team at Lea Hough has received recognition at the high profile national RTPI Planning Excellence Awards. Richard Bailey and his team were awarded first place in the Excellence in Planning for Homes – Large Schemes (50 or more homes) category for the Dargavel Village Scheme at Bishopton, Scotland.

Dargavel Village, the site of a former BAE Systems Royal Ordnance Factory to the south west of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, is one of the largest brownfield sites in Scotland - standing at 964 hectares. The site has been subject to major regeneration as a Community Growth Area with plans for 4,000 new homes, associated retail, education, health and recreational facilities, along with a Green Network consisting of parks, path networks, woodland and habitat pockets.

Richard Bailey and Lea Hough have been involved with the project from the very initial stages, acting as Land Agent and providing a wide range of property and development related advice.

Alongside Lea Hough, the site has been delivered by a team comprising of BAE Systems and CASS Associates working with Renfrewshire Council to produce the overall masterplan and design codes.

The award submission, which was made in the name of Renfrewshire Council, was chosen as the judges felt it was a great example of a large development scheme that brought previously inaccessible land back into use and is created a self-sustaining community. In particular, the judges noted the inclusion of multiple community facilities including green corridors and woodland areas.

Initial phases of a long-term, 25 year strategy have been transformational - providing strategic infrastructure across the site together with over 1,000 new homes and facilities in a sustainable location.

Jon Gettinby, Bishopton programme manager, BAE Systems Shared Services said: “We’re proud that Dargavel Village has received this award. The development is a huge programme, transforming brownfield land into a vibrant community supported by new and enhanced infrastructure; improved travel links; retail, leisure and community facilities, and surrounded by a public accessible woodland area.”

Richard Bailey, who attended the attended the awards ceremony at The Barbican in London, commented: “We were very pleased to have been chosen as a finalist and therefore to win was great.

“This project has been a real joint effort – and the results so far are very promising. Having the scheme recognised at a national level is something we can all be proud of.”

Winning this national award is a fantastic achievement and a great reward for the years of hard work that Richard and his team have put into the project.

More information on Dargavel Village can be found here.