Worcestershire County Council issues tender for Shrub Hill Quarter development partner

Worcestershire County Council has issued a tender for a development partner for the 35-acre Shrub Hill Quarter in Worcester, a residential-led scheme the council says could deliver more than 500 homes over 20 years.

The notice, for procurement PL0360 Shrub Hill Development Partner, was published on Find a Tender on 8 October 2026. The county council announced the search the following day, saying it and Worcester City Council are seeking a partner.

The site is centred on former railway land next to Worcester Shrub Hill Station. The procurement record describes the aim as a residential-led mixed-use development connecting the station with the city centre.

Councillor Adam Kent, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Finance, Corporate Services and Business at Worcestershire County Council, said: "Shrub Hill is 35 acres of brownfield land next to a mainline station, on the edge of Worcester city centre, with a canal running through it. There are very few development sites like it in the region."

The offer to the market

According to the tender record, the county council owns the whole of Phase 1, which it puts at about 9.7 acres, giving what it calls a clear route to early delivery. The council's own project page describes its holding, the Shrub Hill Industrial Estate, as a four-hectare site within the quarter.

Phase 1 takes in the council's land at Lower Yard and Upper Yard, according to a council release from 2025. The county council said it bought the industrial estate in 2020.

The councils said the scheme has been structured for phased delivery, so individual projects can come forward as opportunities arise while contributing to the wider vision. The partner search follows market engagement earlier in 2026, they said.

Kent said: "My message to developers is simple. The opportunity is live, the groundwork is done and we are ready to do business."

He also described the project as brownfield first in practice, saying every home and business built there is one that does not need to go on a green field.

Earlier partner search

In February 2025 the county council announced a development partner search for the quarter, working with the Development team at Savills, with the aim of selecting a partner by autumn 2025. At the time, Sadie Janes, Director and Joint Head of the Development team at Savills in Birmingham, said the scheme had the potential to become one of the largest regeneration initiatives in the region.

In 2025 the council said the quarter could provide up to 5,000 jobs and more than 500 homes. The October 2026 release refers to more than 500 homes and "employment opportunities".

Groundwork already done

Worcester City Council adopted the Shrub Hill Quarter Supplementary Planning Document in September 2024. The county council said the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and London and Continental Railways were involved in developing it alongside the two councils.

The city council secured £10m of Towns Fund money for the regeneration of the quarter, according to the county council's project pages.

Demolition of a blue corrugated unit and brick tower on the Shrub Hill Industrial Estate began in the week of 16 June 2025, with clearance scheduled to take up to eight weeks. The county council said the work was supported by the Government's Brownfield Land Release Fund.

A separate Phase 1 project, the 1.15ha Isaac Maddox House site on Shrub Hill Road, is to become an Enterprise Centre of office and commercial space. Planning permission was approved in May 2024.

The councils said investment to date also covers site remediation, public realm improvements and active travel infrastructure.

What happens next

Alongside the partner procurement, the county council said it is continuing discussions with the NHS about a potential Community Diagnostic Centre for Worcestershire at Shrub Hill.

The tender notice for the development partner went live on Find a Tender on 8 October 2026.