Council chiefs have finally taken ownership of three key sites in the centre of Weston-super-Mare, with plans to build as many as 500 new homes on them. And while North Somerset Council work on getting a developer and the plans drawn up, it is also looking at creating a Wapping Wharf-style ‘meanwhile use’, which could see pop-up restaurants and bars on the sites.
The three sites - Dolphin Square, Sunnyside Road and Locking Road - were owned for years by the Government’s housing agency Homes England, but they didn’t develop them. So now North Somerset Council has finally taken ownership of the three sites, with plans for hundreds of new homes, as well as commercial uses and community buildings.
Council chiefs said they hope work on the developments at the three sites will start in either 2024 or 2025, and they have already allocated nearly £700,000 to make sure affordable homes are included in the developments.
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Council chief Cllr Mark Canniford said they had been negotiating with Homes England for more than a year to take control of the sites and get development done.
““This is the culmination of over a year of negotiation and we are delighted to be taking on the sites,” he said. “We are looking forward to getting on with delivery and ensuring a supply of good quality homes and facilities for local people, a key aim of the Super Weston Placemaking Strategy.
“We are doing everything we can to make best use of brownfield land and to improve standards of living and the environment,” he added. The council said it would be finding a developer and hoped to have one in place to draw up the plans by the end of this year. In the meantime, though, the empty sites could be brought to life temporarily.
A council spokesperson said: “Options for “Meanwhile Uses” on some of the sites will be explored prior to the start of development. This could include temporary food and drink attractions similar to those at Wapping Wharf in Bristol, or other temporary workspace options for the area.”
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