Decision details

Councillor Morris introduced the report which is seeking approval to accelerate delivery and bring forward high-quality, mixed typology housing at Pyramid Park and Q-Park, two key town centre, brownfield sites, both within council ownership. Councillor Morris highlighted the opportunity we have within Bury Town Centre to deliver almost 200 homes with mixed tenures. 

Cllr Birchmore queried what the percentage of social housing will be and what information we have about the ecology of the site.

Cllr Morris confirmed that the current proposals are looking at extra care and supported living schemes.  There is a recognition that there is an ecological value to the site. Some on site provision to enhance the ecology will be required and part of the detailed proposals that will be submitted.  

Robert Summerfield, Director of Regeneration and Project Delivery, confirmed the scheme tendered is planning compliant, so we will expect the minimum of social housing but hope they will be able to exceed it.

In terms of biodiversity net gain, we will achieve 10% biodiversity net gain across the site, with the majority of the net gain on site where possible. If we are unable to achieve net gain on the site we will seek to find alternative solutions to provide the biodiversity required. It is a statutory requirement to achieve this and this has been part of the tender process.  

Councillor Vernon queried how much control we have over land once we hand it over to the developer and what powers do we have to ensure they comply with what we have asked them to do. 

Councillor Morris advised we have a contract that states what we want the developer to deliver around intergenerational living and different types of homes.

Robert Summerfield, Director of Regeneration and Project Delivery, confirmed the key guiding factor is the housing strategy which has formed the quality element of the bidding process.  The site will be disposed subject to planning, and we have consulted with planners all the way through to ensure the site is compliant. Confident that what will be delivered is what is needed in the Town Centre, a multifaceted scheme which can also contribute to other council services. We will hold them to account as part of development agreement.

Cllr Birchmore queried whether it will come off the quota for required housing in the borough. 

Leader confirmed that these are some of the more obvious sites that are available in Bury and will make a contribution to the total housing numbers required across the borough.

Decision(s):

Cabinet: 

-       Approved the plans for disposal of the sites at Pyramid Park and Q-Park, to Watson Construction Ltd (Company number 08621624) as the Development Partner.

-       Delegated the award of all contractual documents for example a Development Agreement (if applicable),lease agreements, licence and other ancillary contracts) that relate to the appointment of Watson Construction Ltd (Company number 08621624), to the Executive Director of Place and Executive Director of Finance, and the council Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth.

-       Delegated the disposal of Pyramid Park and Q-Park, including commercial terms (including Best Value Consideration if applicable) and eventual capital receipt, to the Executive Director of Place and Executive Director of Finance, and the council Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Growth.  

Reasons for decision(s) 

-       The disposal of the Pyramid Park site to a developer, and the delivery of new housing, is required by the 31st March 2027 and 31st March 2029, respectively, as per the agreed BLRF2 grant funding milestones. 

-       The appointment of Watson, who have a strong track record of delivery of mixed tenure residential led developments across Greater Manchester, will enable the realisation of much needed new, sustainable homes and accommodation, across a range of tenures and typologies, at Pyramid Park and Q-Park, and in line with the council's brownfield first approach to housing.

-       The disposal of Pyramid Park and Q-Park will generate a capital receipt for the council, and will also reduce the revenue costs of holding, maintaining and securing these long-term vacant, town centre opportunity sites, which in their Page 70 current state, are detrimental to the street scene and regularly attract antisocial behaviour. 

Alternative options considered and rejected

-       Do nothing:

o   If no action is taken to bring forward the Pyramid Park and Q-Park sites for residential, the comprehensive regeneration of this strategic town centre area, in line with the council’s vision and masterplan, will not take place and the sites will remain vacant and likely subject to further anti-social behaviour and physical deterioration. The opportunity cost of not facilitating development at these sites will be a significant setback to the council’s wider town centre regeneration ambitions. Furthermore, by failing to realise the development of Pyramid Park in the short-term, it is highly likely that the BLRF2 Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) delivery milestones, namely the requirement to have completed disposal by 31st March 2027 and have delivered the new homes by 31st March 2029, would become unachievable. This risks a full grant claw back of the £1.73 million brownfield funding provided by One Public Estate (OPE) and would also jeopardise the anticipated capital receipt that would be yielded from the disposal of the sites. If this BLRF2 grant clawback was to materialise, Pyramid Park would continue to remain a significantly unviable and potentially void site for years, if not decades, as it cannot be brought forward without public sector intervention to address technical site constraints and abnormals.

o   Failure to realise development at Pyramid Park and Q-Park would also erode confidence in the council’s ability to bring forward these two key strategic, brownfield priority sites, which is critical in supporting the delivery of a number of major corporate strategies including the Bury Housing Strategy, the Bury Economic Strategy, and the Bury Town Centre Masterplan. The proposed future residential scheme across both sites holds potential in delivering a significant element of the identified housing shortfall and would help a range of cohorts to live independently in a sustainable location, thus improving outcomes, and complementing wider town centre regeneration activity. These beneficial outcomes would be forfeited by not facilitating development at the sites.

o   It would also affect the forthcoming redevelopment of Bury Interchange, which will see the construction of a new pedestrian footbridge, spanning the tram lines across from Pyramid Park to Townside at Knowsley Place. This is because the ongoing, grant-funded, remediation scheme at Pyramid Park (planning ref: 70903) has several interlinked planning conditions with the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) interchange southern access works (ref: 71834). The realisation of the wider economic, social and environmental benefits that the future residential scheme would bring, including the generation of new council tax revenue, would also be put at risk. Page 71 19.

-       Dispose of the sites on the open market:

o   Although this route is likely to ensure the swift disposal of both sites, generate a capital receipt, and free the council of any liabilities tied to the ownership of both plots, the council would be placed in a precarious position as it requires the prospective developer to be able to bring forward housing delivery at Pyramid Park as per the BLRF2 GFA milestones, as outlined earlier. There would be a material risk that the prospective developer, appointed through this open market sale route, could ‘land-bank’ and not undertake any meaningful development, or realise a residential scheme in line with the council’s wider regeneration and strategic vision, with no guarantee to the council on delivery or quality of the scheme.

o   Moreover, if the current procurement process, which commenced in April 2026, was to be terminated at this stage and a new open market disposal process initiated, it again would increase the likelihood of the Pyramid Park GFA milestones becoming unachievable due to the sheer amount of time it would take, thereby risking the full grant claw back. Further internal staff resource would also be required, and additional fees would be incurred through the council’s external consultant team, needed to support the new procurement, marketing and sale process.