From a Noble Industrial Past to a Vibrant New Community

37 years on from the National Coal Board closing Orgreave Colliery - one of Europe’s biggest mining operations. An innovative enterprise zone has been created for modern manufacturing and technology to form a new residential and business community.

A politically sensitive area, which gained national notoriety when coal miners picketed and clashed with the South Yorkshire Police known as the ‘Battle of Orgreave’ between 1984 and 1985. The area now known as Waverley, is currently undergoing a period of substantial geographic change and economic growth to create Yorkshire’s largest sustainable mixed-use development.

The 740-acre brown field site gained outline planning permission, in 2010, for a 100 million pound project to create 4,000 new homes within 250 acres. 200 acres of the site will also be allocated for public spaces including two large lakes, woodlands and children’s play areas. 2017 saw the approval of a further 12-acre development site to create Waverley Square - a 50 million pound retail, office and leisure park, which will generate approximately 700 jobs.

The catalyst for the Waverley Development is the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), who have collaborated with prestigious manufacturing companies such as Boeing to relocate to Sheffield along with Rolls Royce, Dormer, Mclaren and over 40 other companies who have a base at the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

Subsequent relocations of employees have contributed to the local economy and have played a pivotal role in the

success of Waverley and its community. The varied selection of suitable housing has also enticed local professionals to move to the outskirts of Rotherham and Sheffield. The development appears to have created a recipe for success with the provision of suitable amenities within a desirable location and providing easy commutes between major Northern conurbations and the UK as a whole.

The property and development company behind the scheme, Harworth Estates have created a diverse style of housing, ranging from five bedroomed detached executive homes to apartments and affordable housing. Sections of the overall site have been tendered-out to established developers such as Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Avant Homes and Harron Homes who have designed and constructed contemporary, quality homes. The popularity of the scheme and the general desire to live here has returned some homeowners with an increase in excess of £100,000 to the initial value of their property, since construction began in 2012.

To put it simply, the UK is not producing enough new housing to meet the demands for a growing and ageing population. Perhaps Waverley can be seen as an innovative approach to act positively towards the housing crisis, catering to the needs of a specific demographic and providing a welcomed boost to the home construction industry.

Once the full construction of Waverley is complete, there is expected to be a thriving community totalling around 9,000 people along with the creation of approximately 3,500 jobs whilst adding 300 million pounds to the local economy.