Work starts on hundreds of homes at Boots headquarters in major £102m regeneration project

Housebuilding has started on part of Boots' Nottinghamshire headquarters as a part of a project to construct hundreds of homes. Construction firm Keepmoat has commenced work on 604 new properties at the health and beauty giant's Thane Road headquarters, which is between Nottingham and Beeston.

It comes after the housing company received permission to change the type of houses that would be built at the 286-acre brownfield site, which was required after Boots' previously selected developer Ilke Homes went into administration. Keepmoat concluded a deal with Nottinghamshire's largest company for the land in late 2023, announcing its ambition to build hundreds of "high-quality, multi-tenure new homes" there by 2029.

Under the approved plans, 207 homes will now be constructed within Nottingham City Council's jurisdiction, with a further 397 falling within Broxtowe Borough Council's borders. After visiting the vast site to view the start of construction, Charlotte Goode, divisional chair of Keepmoat said: “Keepmoat is delighted to be regenerating this landmark development on a very special site that will bring much needed, high-quality new homes and significant investment to the city."

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Ms Goode added the development represented an investment of £102 million into what she called a "historical site". Of the just over 600 properties that will eventually be built on the land, 319 of them will be offered as affordable homes by Keepmoat's partner Platform Housing Group.

Laura Osborne, sales & marketing director at the group, added: “This is a hugely important scheme for Platform, to be contributing to the growth of a thriving town and to provide much needed affordable housing in the area. Beeston is an up and coming area with fantastic potential to become one of the most sought-after commuter locations in the Midlands, so to be leading the way with such a large scale development is rewarding.”

The land falls within Nottingham Enterprise Zone, which aims to be the UK’s centre for innovation in life sciences, medical research, health, beauty and wellness. Stephen Boyce, director of estates at Boots UK, added: “We’re excited to see work start at this fantastic new development for the Nottingham Enterprise Zone. We look forward to seeing Keepmoat’s vision come to life, developing new high-quality and affordable housing for people in the local area."