Harworth Group has started construction work on Olive Lane, a new mixed-use heart of the community at its Waverley development in Rotherham, following the receipt of a planning approval for the scheme in November.

Harworth has also announced two important steps towards delivery of the scheme: first, the completion of a sale in January 2024 to regional builder Sky-House, to build 50 new homes as well as its new headquarters within the Olive Lane development; and secondly, an agreement with NHS England and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to allow construction of the site's medical centre to commence.

A groundbreaking event took place at the site in December 2023, attended by representatives of Harworth, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, the Waverley Community Council, Sky-House and Forge New Homes, who are also building new homes at the Olive Lane scheme. They were joined by teams who will be involved in the delivery of the project, including construction contractor Lindum Group, architects CODA, landscape architects PWP Design, civil engineer BE Design, planning consultant Stantec and project/cost manager Edge.

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Olive Lane is a new mixed-use heart of the community that will provide convenience retail, cafés and restaurants, alongside a new medical centre. It will comprise a new pedestrianised high street with 21,000 sq. ft of retail and leisure space, linking the Waverley residential neighbourhood with the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The high street and associated public realm have been designed by award-winning local architect CODA to create an inviting and attractive space that bridges the architectural styles of the residential area and the AMP.

Olive Lane will become a new social hub for Waverley residents and workers at the AMP further enhancing the amenities already available on site, which include 310 acres of green space, a school, family pub, community garden and learn-to-ride cycle track.

Harworth has also completed a two-acre land sale to Sky-House to develop an additional 50 residential units directly adjacent to Olive Lane’s high street, alongside a new headquarters for the company and a small amount of retail and leisure space. The new units will comprise family homes as well as apartments, and will follow a bespoke design code aligned to Sky-House’s existing products at Waverley, which have proven to be very popular. This is Harworth’s fourth transaction with the regional housebuilder at Waverley, and follows a land sale late in 2022 to allow Sky-House to develop Waverley Central, a new 106-home scheme which also lies adjacent to Olive Lane.

Completion of the high street element of the scheme, including the medical centre, is anticipated by the end of 2024, after which fit-out works for the retail and leisure units will begin.