Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Policy and Performance Improvement Committee receive update on Yorke Drive Estate plans

A timeline of works had now been outlined for the major redevelopment of a Newark estate.

Planning officers recently updated members of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Policy and Performance Improvement Committee about progress on plans for the Yorke Drive Estate to date, as well as laying out the next steps, and when key milestones in the project will be reached.

The regeneration scheme, which was finally approved in February following years of delays, will see a number of old council-owned properties on the 1960s estate demolished to make way for 207 new homes.

It was said that the council is currently “on track” to begin development of the Lincoln Road Playing Fields in September of this year, following the demolition of the existing pavilion, garages, and outbuildings on the site by the end of the summer.

This work will include the initial demolition of two void semi-detached properties which are described as being a draw for anti-social behaviour.

Of the 207 new homes, 74 of them will be affordable housing, with the remaining 133 built as private housing.

This includes 18 one-bedroom apartments, 54 two-bedroom houses, 117 three-bedroom houses, and 18 four-bedroom houses.

Communications have taken place with tenants, and individual agreements have been arranged to re-home them either elsewhere within the district, or in new affordable homes once they have been built.

The first major demolitions of vacant properties are due to start in Autumn, with the aim of completing all new affordable homes by winter 2027.

All properties included in the scheme are expected to be complete by 2031.

Work will begin on the Lincoln Road side of the estate first, before progressing towards the playing fields side.

When questioned about the length of the project, planning officers stated that this was due to the council’s commitment to a policy of only moving tenants once, so they have adopted a staggered approach whereby tenants will be moved, a property demolished, and new home built over a number of years, rather than all at once.