Harron Homes is making progress on a collection of 232 family-sized homes as a part of Shipley Country Park in Derbyshire.
Planning permission has been granted by Amber Valley Borough Council enabling a start on this 44 acre mixed-use development incorporating new homes, a retirement community, neighbourhood centre, hotel and restaurant, garden centre, business space and a health and care campus as well as extensive new landscapes and integrated footpath networks. The scheme makes the most of its tranquil and beautiful countryside park setting through enabling access and views to the lakeside and surrounding woodlands.
The site has an incredible history being the former location of ‘The American Adventure’, an old-West-style theme park that operated between 1987 and 2007. The site has now been cleared and prepared into three distinct parcels; these will enable the formation of distinct new neighbourhoods all joined by the fantastic landscape setting.
The first cluster of 48 new homes are set up high with incredible views out across the lake. This area was once the Britannia Park ‘Small World’ Pavilion, which was used by The American Adventure as a large maintenance complex to accommodate a variety of workrooms, stores, and staff welfare facilities, including a dining hall.
The second phase is the biggest of the three residential phases and will feature a network of streets, across which 124 properties will be built. This was formerly used for the Alamo and Frisco Wharf areas of the park, where the 200ft Skycoaster, reported to be the largest ride of its type in the world outside the United States, was installed in 2006.
The third and final phase of 60 homes are set close to the lakeside edge with great views and easy access. This will see the Thunder Mountain area, which had a fibreglass ‘mountain’ as its centrepiece which partially enclosed both the Log Flume and Runaway Mine Train rides, transformed!
John Booth, Regional Managing Director at Harron Homes North Midlands, said: “We are delighted to have started work at Shipley Lakeside.
“The site has stood unused for many years and this development will allow us to bring it back into public use by helping to address the housing shortage on a local scale.”
Construction of the new homes is now underway and a showhome is expected to be available to view in September 2021.
