Contract award
Wakefield signs 40m pound Castleford regeneration partnership with Muse
By Staff Writer | 26 October 2026
Wakefield Council has signed a 40m pound contract with Morgan Sindall Consortium LLP and Muse Places Limited for a long-term strategic regeneration partnership in Castleford.
The contract award notice was published on Find a Tender on 25 October 2026. It records the contract as signed on 16 October 2026, with a value of 40m pounds. The council named Muse as its Strategic Regeneration Partner for the town in August 2026, and the notice now confirms the contract and how it was let.
How it was procured
The council ran a further competition under the Pagabo Developer-Led Framework, Lot 3c, which covers mixed use schemes of 40m pounds and above in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Tenders were weighted 60 per cent on quality and 40 per cent on price, and two bids were received. The notice lists the procedure as an award without prior publication of a call for competition and gives the reason as the further competition held under the framework.
What the partner will do
According to the notice, the partner will support a place-based housing and economic growth regeneration programme for Castleford running for 10 to 15 years. It will work with the council and with public sector partners including Homes England and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and will bring commercial expertise to identifying and delivering long-term growth opportunities in the town.
Its tasks include a commercially viable, long-term regeneration and investment strategy; faster housing and economic growth across the Strategic Regeneration Area, using strategic land assets; better connectivity, infrastructure and public realm; commercial development in the town centre that brings in the town's cultural and heritage assets; and securing public and private investment.
The lot description adds that the partner will bring existing and future initiatives, such as the Towns Fund and the Pride in Place Programme, under one strategic vision, and coordinate public and private sector work on housing, employment and placemaking. It will support town centre improvements, including public realm works and a new riverside park, and work on connectivity and infrastructure to attract investment.
Following the successful conclusion of the Pre-Development Agreement, the council intends to award the main Development Agreement, subject to approval.
Funding already in place
In its August announcement, the council said Castleford had already secured 23.9m pounds from the Government's Town Deal programme, which is paying for improvements to the riverside and the town centre, and a further 20m pounds through the Pride in Place programme, to be delivered over ten years. Residents and businesses will have opportunities to comment on proposals and influence the final designs.
Simon Dew, Managing Director for Yorkshire and North East at Muse, said:
By combining the Council's local knowledge and ambition with our placemaking experience, we can create a shared vision that reflects what matters most to local people.
Simon Dew, Managing Director, Yorkshire and North East, Muse
Councillor Matthew Pinder, Cabinet Member for District Regeneration and Regional Growth at Wakefield Council, said:
This partnership provides us with the additional expertise we need to deliver the kind of improvements residents and businesses want to see. It will help us appeal to investors, enhance the town centre, and create more opportunities for local people.
Cllr Matthew Pinder, Cabinet Member for District Regeneration and Regional Growth, Wakefield Council