News: Launch of procurement process for our development partner

17 February 2022

Winchester City Council will be launching the procurement process for a development partner for the regeneration of a significant area in the centre of Winchester on 17 March 2022.

The transformation of this key part of Winchester aims to bring significant benefits to people living and working in and around the district, including the delivery of flexible workspace, retail and leisure facilities, high quality homes and an attractive public realm.

This announcement follows the council’s decision to proceed with plans to regenerate the Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR) area and realise the redevelopment of the bus station, Kings Walk, the old Friarsgate Medical Centre and Coitbury House.  The vision, as set out in the agreed CWR Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), is for a vibrant, mixed-use destination which is highly sustainable, reducing reliance on cars in the city centre whilst adding to Winchester’s already rich and varied heritage and cultural offer.

Proposals for the redevelopment of the CWR site have already been prepared in conjunction with JLL and Arup.  JLL will continue to support the council on the detailed delivery of the procurement process over the coming months.  The approach is underpinned by a massing study, cost plan and viability assessment to ensure that the investment objectives are viable and deliverable.

Cllr Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for Housing and Asset Management, said: “The regeneration of central Winchester represents a fantastic opportunity and sends out a strong message to the UK investor community that we mean business.  After many years of detailed and fruitful public consultation, the council and the public have demonstrated a shared vision and our joint ambition to drive forward this transformational opportunity.

“Winchester now has the opportunity to ‘reinvent’ itself as a place that will be more attractive to investors and occupiers, adapting for the twenty-first century, while expanding its cultural offer.  As part of our aspiration for the city, we will be seeking a partner with the right skills, resources, commitment, approach and a proven track record with similar projects, to deliver our vision and investment objectives for the development of central Winchester.  There has never been a better time to live, work or invest in Winchester.”

Jennifer Newsham, Director of JLL, said: “Having worked closely with the city council to support its aspirations to create a vision for the regeneration of central Winchester, we are excited to bring this extremely attractive site to the market to secure a long-term development partner.  Winchester currently represents one of the most exciting development opportunities in the UK.  It is a city with a fundamentally strong market and an established base of talented people and businesses to build on.  It is also a place that will – with further investment at an appropriate scale – continue to attract new talent and different types of businesses.”

Paul Spencer, Executive Director of Winchester Business Improvement District (BID), an organisation working with over 700 businesses in Winchester city centre, across a broad range of sectors, said: “The response from our members has been overwhelmingly positive – there is a clear support and enthusiasm from the Winchester business community to move forward and we are extremely excited to be at the stage we are now as a city. We look forward to seeing Winchester take the next steps towards realising the potential of this key city centre site, which will be important to the city, district and wider region.”

Laura Taylor, Chief Executive of Winchester City Council said: “This is a great opportunity for a development partner to support the council in achieving a truly significant transformation of the centre of Winchester. 

“Like many cities in the UK, we are having to address the challenges of reshaping our built environment to meet the needs of the 21^st century.  Our plans for CWR focus on sustainable development, encouraging reductions in our carbon footprint and helping to make Winchester an exemplar of carbon and environmental management.  The proposals also serve to integrate city centre living with new workspace and a greatly enhanced retail offer, while seeking to encourage young people to stay in Winchester by offering employment opportunities and creating a more vibrant night-time economy.  This will result in a significantly improved commercial and cultural offer in the city and we would ask any interested development partner to get in touch and find out how they can be a part of our continuing success story.”