The construction of 125 homes on the former site of bike manufacturer Raleigh has moved a step closer.
Raleigh had been based at Church Street, Eastwood, since the early 2000s, but its head office was moved to the nearby Durban House in August last year.
Durban House was built in the 19th century and is renowned for its use as the wages office for the collieries where the father of famed writer D. H. Lawrence worked.
Raleigh moved in under an agreement with Broxtowe Borough Council, which worked with the manufacturer to turn the building into its head office after the authority’s plans for a community hub failed due to a lack of funding.
The council has now given Raleigh initial ‘outline’ planning permission to build 125 homes on its old Church Street site.
Before work starts, the firm must meet set conditions and submit further ‘reserved matters’ applications, including landscaping plans and detailed drawings.
“The proposals provide for high-quality residential development, which can incorporate a mix of house types, styles and sizes, all to be agreed as part of future reserved matters applications,” planning documents say.
“It is anticipated that dwellings will be predominantly two storeys tall across the site.
“The development will contribute to the delivery of homes within the borough, helping the council to meet its requirement to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing land.”
In considering a future head office move, Raleigh first tabled plans to transform the Church Street site into a new housing estate in 2019.
The council granted it outline permission to push ahead with the original plans a year later in 2020.
At the time, Raleigh said the site was no longer fit for purpose, with the buildings underused and in a poor state of repair ever since manufacturing ceased in the city more than 20 years ago.
However, due to the economic uncertainty at the start of the pandemic, it decided to review the disposal strategy for the site.
“Sales of electric bikes increased during lockdown, and the Eastwood site was utilised for storage purposes,” documents add.
“However, the site is again no longer required for operational purposes.”
Plans for housing were again submitted in 2023, with outline permission granted on 2 January 2025.
Raleigh now has three years to submit all remaining reserved matters applications.
