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Council approached Swan to take L&Q’s place on £1bn regeneration
Thurrock Council approached Swan directly when L&Q pulled out of an £800m contract to regenerate Purfleet, Swan’s chief executive has told Inside Housing.
John Synnuck told Inside Housing that the council and Purfleet Centre Regeneration Limited (PCRL) – the third member of the joint venture – asked Swan to join the £1bn scheme due to its local connections.
He added: “Why L&Q is not in it is not something I’m aware of, nor were we party to it. We’re obviously a local player, which they were very positive about. We’ve had positive dealings with Thurrock in the past, but no, there was no discussion really about why and wherefore.”
L&Q backed out of the deal at the end of September, according to a notice posted on the Official Journal of the European Union, but the association has refused to comment on the reason.
Last week, Swan signed the deal to take over the equity stake that had previously belonged to L&Q, London’s largest housing association.
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Craig Luttman, regional managing director for development and sales at L&Q, said: “L&Q has had a long-term commitment to enabling the delivery of a transformational development for Purfleet. We made significant investment in planning a scheme that builds on the existing community and is a sustainable place for people to live and work. We are now pleased to be handing over the baton to Swan housing association to progress this scheme to its next exciting phase.”
The development in South Essex will see up to 3,000 new homes built as well as a creative hub, an improved train station and bridge crossing, a new primary school and other health and education infrastructure.
Geoff Pearce, executive director of regeneration and development at Swan, said: “We are delighted that PCRL and [the development manager] Urban Catalyst recognise that Swan’s expertise in construction, project management and delivering mixed use regeneration will help PCRL bring about the transformation of Purfleet town centre.”
Mark Coxshall, cabinet member for regeneration at Thurrock Council, added: “This scheme is one of the most significant developments in Thurrock, impacting on both existing and new residents.
“The new services and facilities currently absent in Purfleet will be achieved by developing the site in such a comprehensive way.”
