Pullman Green - Hexthorpe, Doncaster

About Pullman Green and its location

The Pullman Green development is located within the Hexthorpe area of central Doncaster. The site was formerly the Doncaster Railway Works, known as the ‘Plant Works’, which opened in 1853 and where the Flying Scotsman and Mallard locomotives were constructed. The site had been vacant since 2007 following the plant’s closure.

Hexthorpe was an area in need of major regeneration following a period of significant decline in the wake of the closure of the Plant Works, with unemployment 25% higher than the national average. Countryside Partnerships purchased the property in 2019 and subsequently obtained planning approval for a mixed tenure scheme of 671 private, rented, and affordable homes in 2020.

Pullman Green is a successful example of a major brownfield regeneration project tackling significant development constraints such as historic asbestos, overhead power cables and ecological mitigation. In addition to the housing development, the scheme also provides 10 hectares of public open space and ecological areas, including a landscaped footpath alongside the River Don.

• Start date: 2020
• Total number of dwellings: 671
• Private homes for sale: 305
• Affordable houses: 166
• Private rented homes: 200

Project challenges and how we overcame them

Overhead power lines: Two 66kv overhead cables cross the site on the northern boundary. These cables are to be re-routed below ground.

Great Crested Newts: The site houses great crested newts and a variety of bat and bird breeding habitats. We have retained a large area of the property of as natural habitat, with footpaths for public access.

Land Allocation: The site was primarily allocated as employment land, with small areas in the residential policy area and Green Belt. Given the emerging local plan policy and the extant permission, housing was seen to be acceptable on this site

Noise: Industrial development bounds the site to the east which generates noise pollution. To mitigate against this, contributions have been made for the fitting of white noise receptors to plant. Additionally, the dwellings impacted by the noise pollution have been fitted with trickle vents and a noise attenuation buffer strip has been planted