Brentwood council appoints Willmott Dixon Developments and Milligan for Baytree Centre scheme

Brentwood Borough Council has appointed Willmott Dixon Developments and Milligan as development partner for the Baytree Shopping Centre, where a cinema-anchored leisure quarter is planned, although no commitment to construction has yet been made.

The council said the plans were presented to its committee on Wednesday 16 September and that it formally appointed the two firms following approval at that meeting. Willmott Dixon said the appointment was made through Pagabo's Developer Led Framework.

The proposal centres on a new leisure quarter at the front of the site, anchored by a boutique or premium-format cinema, with restaurants, bars and upgraded public space, according to Willmott Dixon. The rear of the site will be prepared separately, which the contractor said opens up the potential for new homes in future.

Joe Kerby, regional head of land and development (London & East) at Willmott Dixon Developments, said: "Together with Milligan, our role is to help turn that ambition into a scheme that is viable, fundable and deliverable, bringing our combined development and regeneration experience to the project."

The funding

Willmott Dixon said more than £6m of council funding will be invested in the scheme.

In a statement published before the committee meeting, the council said councillors were being asked to approve a maximum equity contribution of £6,520,000, along with a development contingency reserve of £800,000 for specialist advice.

The council said it will keep ownership of the site throughout, acting as landowner, funder and strategic decision-maker.

Councillor Gareth Barrett, named in Willmott Dixon's announcement as chair of the Assets and Strategy Committee at the council, said the authority now had "a named delivery partner, a funded scheme, and a clear set of milestones".

The council said no commitment to construction had yet been made and that the next steps included finalising the development agreement.

Background

The council bought the centre in 2021 and gained planning permission for an earlier redevelopment scheme in 2023. In September 2024 councillors agreed a three-phase delivery approach for the redevelopment.

Willmott Dixon and Milligan had earlier been appointed by the council to carry out a detailed feasibility study of the centre and the wider High Street area, Councillor Barrett said in the council's pre-committee statement.

That statement said part of the existing centre would be demolished to make way for the new development. It also said the council was exploring, at an early stage, the potential for residential-led development on the southern part of the site in the longer term.

The partners

Willmott Dixon launched Willmott Dixon Developments in May 2026 as a national business focused on regeneration, residential, student accommodation and public-private partnership schemes. It is led by David Atkinson, director of development and investment, and Chris Wheeler, national head of land and development.

The company said the team has delivered more than 1,000 homes over the past 10 years. Willmott Dixon won a place on every UK-wide lot of Pagabo's £47bn developer-led framework when it went live in December 2020.

Torbay Council announced its partnership with Willmott Dixon and Milligan in November 2023, with initial programmes covering the Torquay Town Deal (£21.9m) and Paignton Future High Streets (£13.36m), both awarded UK Government funding in 2020. Willmott Dixon describes the Torbay arrangement as a 10-year regeneration partnership.

Dorset Council appointed the two firms to a regeneration partnership for Weymouth in November 2025.

What happens next

Willmott Dixon said the next steps are detailed design work, a planning application and early engagement with the centre's existing occupiers.

The council said further detail will be agreed through committee and council meetings during the autumn.

Ahead of the committee decision, the council said it expected work to start on the Chapel Ruins in 2027, followed by the wider redevelopment, with the centre reopening in summer 2029.