Birketts advises Suffolk County Council on major land sale to Taylor Wimpey for £35m

Birketts has advised Suffolk County Council (SCC) on the sale of land at Chilton Woods, which will see more than 1,000 homes built close to Sudbury, subject to planning permission.

Legal Director in Birketts’ Commercial Property Team, Julie Hoy, led the deal, with support from Partner Stuart Raven.

Developer Taylor Wimpey purchased the site and intends to build and new community of 1,150 homes (with 25% designated for affordable rent or shared ownership), as well as a village hub with shops, a community hall, pub, play areas and allotments, as well as land for a new primary and pre-school. A decision on the first phase of the plans is expected in spring.

Legal Director Julie Hoy said of the sale: “We are delighted to see another step towards this new community being built in Babergh, bringing hundreds of homes to the area and more amenities for Suffolk. Birketts is regularly instructed to support local authorities and developers with sales of land such as Chilton Woods thanks to the vast experience and pragmatic advice of our lawyers. The ability to assemble a multi-disciplined team like this means our clients can be confident every aspect of a transaction will run smoothly. We wish Taylor Wimpey well as their planning decision approaches and look forward to seeing this new community take shape.”

Andrew Rowe, Concertus Chief Executive Officer, said: “I would like to thank my colleagues at Concertus and all those involved in the sale at Birketts, Suffolk County Council and Taylor Wimpey for their diligence and hard work over the months to bring this deal to fruition. The legal advice from Julie and her team was clear and pragmatic, and her team’s experience of major acquisitions such as this was instrumental in the smooth nature of the transaction.”

Councillor Nick Gowrley, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Housing, Economic Development and Enterprise, added: “Birketts has helped guide Suffolk County Council in our ambition to see the development of the Chilton Woods site. The completion of this sale is the result of 12 months’ hard work, with exceptional resilience and commitment shown from Julie and her colleagues in the face of unprecedented circumstances and national lockdowns. I am grateful for their professionalism and excited to see the future of the site once development is underway under the new ownership.”