Commercial land sales agreed alongside affordable homes partnership

Property business, Harworth Group, says its Riverdale Park development in Doncaster is entering its final phase following a series of land parcel sales.

Transactions comprise the sale of three pieces of commercial land for £5.7m, to Polypipe Building Products, a supplier of construction materials, JCT600, a motor retailer, and a private developer for construction of a drive thru-unit.

Harworth Group has also signed a forward-funding agreement with Great Places as part of the group’s affordable housing portfolio which was launched in 2023.

Doncaster-based Polypipe Building Products, part of Genuit Group, has acquired a four-acre land parcel next to its Neale Road Manufacturing site, which will be used to provide new facilities.

JCT600 has acquired a seven-acre land parcel to develop a new car showroom and forecourt.

And the private developer has acquired half an acre for construction of the drive-thru.

The forward-funding deal with Great Places is to develop 50 affordable homes as part of the residential element of the Riverdale Park development.

The development will include two, three and four-bedroom homes. Harworth will oversee construction of the homes in return for a development management fee.

Riverdale Park is on the site of the former McCormick Tractor factory.

In 2015, the 112-acre site became one of Harworth’s first acquisitions, and the group later secured an outline planning consent to deliver a mixed-use scheme comprising 600 new homes and 200,000 sq ft of employment space.

Prior to these transactions, Harworth sold employment space at Riverdale Park to Arnold Clark for a new 30,000 sq ft car showroom and to a private developer for construction of two drive-thru units.

The group also directly developed a drive-thru Costa Coffee unit on the site, which has since been sold.

For the residential element of the scheme, land has so far been sold to Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and Harron Homes, which will collectively deliver over 500 new homes.

Ed Catchpole, regional director for Yorkshire & Central at Harworth, said: “Our Riverdale Park development has transformed a brownfield site into a thriving mixed-use community, providing well-connected leisure and employment space as well as much-needed new family homes in a desirable riverside location.”

James Crow, director of mixed tenure at Harworth, said: “Our affordable housing portfolio is about working with selected partners to meet affordable family housing needs, in a large and underserved sector.

“We are therefore pleased to have reached our first affordable housing agreement with Great Places, a highly-respected housing provider that shares our commitment to create vibrant, sustainable communities.”

Matt Williams, managing director, Polypipe Building Products, said: “We’re happy to confirm our commitment to the Doncaster area via this investment, which not only allows us to improve our operational efficiency but opens the opportunity for expansion of our Neale Road facility in future.”

Helen Spencer, executive director of growth at Great Places, added: “We’re pleased to be part of the Riverdale Park development.

“Close work with Harworth Group has enabled us to unlock this important site to deliver 50 new affordable homes in the area where we know demand is high.”