A MULTI-MILLION pound redevelopment of land behind Leamington Railway Station is set to start this autumn.
The Station Approach scheme will include the building of 212 new homes – 75 per cent of which will be affordable and managed by Waterloo Housing Group. There will also be a new 100 space car park owned and managed by Warwick District Council.
The project will also include improvements to the cycleway and footpath link to the railway underpass from Avenue Road – although the underpass will have to close for up to a year during the development – and a new footpath will be built from Station Approach to Lower Avenue and to Park Drive.
The bus depot currently based at Station Approach will move to a new site on the Tachbrook Industrial Estate.
District council leader Coun Andrew Mobbs, leader of Warwick District Council said: “The start on site of this regeneration marks the culmination of several years of work by the council and our partners.
“We have been working closely with all landowners and stakeholders including the Homes & Communities Agency, Network Rail, Chiltern Railways and Stagecoach to get this project to this point.
“The involvement of Waterloo Housing who bought the Station Approach car park site in 2013 was critical to this, and we are delighted that they are leading on a proposal to introduce a significant number of new homes into the heart of Leamington, many of which will be affordable.
“This council is committed to getting brown field sites brought back into use wherever possible, and this is a great opportunity to do this in a way which will lift this vitally important part of the town.”
Building work is set to start in October, but the project is not expected to be completed for four to five years.
The council is working with Chiltern Railways to ensure car parking is available for rail users. During work, contractors have agreed to keep at least part of the current Station Approach car park open for as long as possible until it is needed for development, and further alternative council car parking is also available at Bath Place.
Council chiefs assure customers of Simon’s Place restaurant and worshippers at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall will have access throughout the construction works.
