Countryside has completed a £112 million acquisition of Peel Hall, Warrington. The deal is believed to be the highest land value residential deal ever concluded in the North of England.

The deal, which is a joint venture with Torus Developments, will see the 170 acre site – purchased from Satnam Millennium, developed into 1,200 new houses including 500 affordable homes, a school, a supermarket and 80,000 sq ft of employment space.

The delivery of the scheme is expected to be finished by 2029 with Vistry ensuring the diversity of the homes on-site by using its three housing brands – Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside.

Stephen Teagle, chief executive of Countryside Partnerships, said: “It’s a great example of the housing solutions that we can bring forward because we’re planning to use three brands on that site, Linden, Bovis and Countryside. That allows us to deliver 50% affordable, and to deliver a wide range of housing choice.”

The proposed site, which was initially rejected by Warrington Council before eventually receiving planning approval after a successful appeal to the secretary of state in November 2021, will use Countryside Partnerships’ modular construction factory in Warrington.

Alongside the variety of houses, Countryside Partnerships has said that the development will also include major public realm open space and new sports facilities.

DAC Beechcroft handled the legal side of the deal.

DACB partner and Head of Residential, Gemma Leonard, commented, “We are delighted to have supported Countryside at Peel Hall. With tight deadlines, complicated title issues, pre-emptions, restrictive covenants and collaboration agreements, it was widely acknowledged by all parties to be exceptionally complex. Our established relationship with Countryside and our very experienced team of experts in strategic land, joint ventures, private and affordable housing, were just some of the enabling factors in executing this sophisticated legal contract.”

With 170 lawyers, DACB has one of the largest Real Estate practices in the UK, advising public and private clients regionally, nationally and internationally at every point of the Real Estate development cycle.