Major boost for regeneration scheme in Letchworth Garden City

The second phase in the town centre regeneration of the world’s first garden city has taken a major step forward with the appointment of a developer.

Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation has signed a collaboration agreement with Discovery Properties Ltd to deliver The Wynd scheme in the Hertfordshire town. This will deliver 26 retail units of between 500 sq ft and 10,400 sq ft, including an anchor food store of 27,000 sq ft; 113 flats; a 7,500 ft² play area and 356 parking spaces.

The Heritage Foundation, with its property advisors King Sturge, drew up a shortlist of four developers from a potential list of 60. Subsequent negotiations with Discovery Properties - a company founded by Hugo Hawkings in 1994 and financially backed by major contractor Bowmer & Kirkland* - has led to the collaboration agreement being signed.

The Wynd is an area of Letchworth Garden City, near the railway station, in urgent need of revitalisation and most of the existing retailers have been, or will be relocated, within the heart of the town centre.

This follows the first phase in which the Heritage Foundation commissioned Skanska to undertake an £8m contract to carry out vital Street Scene improvement works in Leys Avenue as part of its commitment to regenerate major areas of the town centre. These works have now started and are scheduled to finish in May next year - with a break from mid-November to mid-January in order to avoid disrupting Christmas trade.

Discovery Properties has built a reputation with local authorities and other public organisations, having been selected at competition on various mixed-use schemes. These include the London Borough of Redbridge, Chichester District Council, Swindon Borough Council, Darlington Borough Council and Warwickshire District Council.

Charles Miller, Head of Retail at King Sturge, adds: “At a time when very little new town centre development is either under way or planned, this is a very significant and forward-looking move by the Heritage Foundation. There is a lot of very constructive discussion and lobbying by leading industry bodies on the need for continued investment in our town centres; here is an excellent example of an organisation that is prepared to make a substantial commitment against a very difficult economic backcloth.”