Vistry Group agrees to buy land in Bexhill as it builds 1,000 homes

Vistry Group has agreed to purchase land allocated for up to 800 new homes in Bexhill.

The exchange of contracts marks the next step towards the completion of a new neighbourhood of up to 1,050 homes at Worsham Farm, north of Wrestwood Road, where Vistry’s Kent division is already building the first 200 homes at The Gateway.

Vistry has now submitted plans for 447 new homes which would form the next two residential phases of the scheme. The application comprises 294 private properties and 153 affordable homes available for local people through rent or shared ownership, as well as a community centre, a shop, three sports pitches and a new sports pavilion with a car park.

The properties for sale will be built by both Vistry Housebuilding and Countryside Partnerships, under the brands Bovis, Linden and Countryside.

Doug Law, regional planning director of Vistry Kent, said: “This is the biggest land purchase deal in the history of Vistry Kent and forms part of an exciting project which will help meet the needs of the local housing market.

“We have already submitted detailed plans for 447 new homes on the site to follow on from the 200 homes we are already building at The Gateway, which is proving to be a very popular development both with local people and those from further afield.

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“We expect this strong demand to continue through and translate into a high level of interest in these next phases of construction, which will provide a natural extension to The Gateway and offer more people the chance to live in this fabulous location, in a beautiful rural setting just a mile from the seaside.

“We have designed a selection of two to five-bedroom properties to suit a wide range of purchasers, including first-time buyers, growing families and people downsizing after retirement.

“This land acquisition is further evidence of Vistry’s ongoing commitment to the area which will see us building in Bexhill for the next eight years, as we bring much-needed new housing and new jobs to the town.”

Rother District Council granted outline planning permission for the wider development of up to 1,050 homes in 2016, with the masterplan for the wider site including land for a new primary school and nursery, community and sports facilities and new public open space and landscaping.

Mr Law said: “The detailed plans for the next two residential phases here are for two separate, but connected, sites which will blend in with their countryside surroundings by retaining mature trees and hedgerow wherever possible. Wildflower planting will help provide a green buffer between the development and the surrounding countryside.

“Work is progressing well at The Gateway, where more than half of the new homes have been built and a vibrant neighbourhood is beginning to form.”

Vistry is building 140 properties for private sale under the Bovis Homes brand at The Gateway, as well as 60 affordable homes available for local people.