Anchoring the Luton Town Centre Masterplan
Willmott Dixon has been appointed to deliver The Stage, a landmark £114 million mixed-use regeneration project that will transform the heart of Luton town centre. Secured through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), the scheme is a central part of the Luton Town Centre Masterplan and is supported by £20 million from the Government’s Local Regeneration Fund (formerly the Levelling Up Fund).
Built on the former Bute Street Shoppers car park, The Stage replaces under-used surface parking with a vibrant new destination, strategically positioned beside the rail station, bus interchange and taxi rank – making it one of the most accessible places to live, work and visit in the town.
What we are delivering
The development brings homes, commercial space, culture and public realm together on a single town-centre site:
- 292 high-quality apartments across three 10-storey blocks, including 84 affordable rental homes.
- Commercial units that stimulate local economic activity.
- A 600-capacity performance venue, with a curated food and drink offering and workspace on the floors above.
- A new public garden square that enhances green space and community connectivity.
- Landscaped public realm incorporating Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) and biodiverse green infrastructure.
A cultural and community anchor
Beyond the homes, The Stage delivers a new public-facing heart for this part of Luton. At its centre is a 600-capacity performance venue – a dedicated music and events space – with a curated food and drink offering and workspace on the floors above. Willmott Dixon is delivering this five-storey, 6,540m² building to shell-and-core, ready for fit-out, with its own sustainability credentials: on-site photovoltaic panels and a BREEAM Very Good target.
Framing the development is a new public garden square: a landscaped focal point for the community, designed around Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) and biodiverse planting. The site was most recently a car park, but was once the town’s main bus station and, before that, the Luton Bute Street railway station – and The Stage re-establishes it as a green, welcoming gateway to the town centre, beside the rail station, bus interchange and taxi rank.
The scheme is one of the anchor projects in the Luton Town Centre Masterplan and, alongside the neighbouring Power Court development, is helping to create a vibrant new gateway into the town as part of the wider, long-term regeneration of the centre.
A regulatory first for Willmott Dixon
The Stage is Willmott Dixon’s first Higher-Risk Building (HRB) to achieve Gateway 2 sign-off – the pre-construction approval that higher-risk residential buildings must secure from the Building Safety Regulator under the Building Safety Act. Working closely with Luton Council through an extended regulatory review, the team navigated complex building safety requirements while maintaining budget discipline and stakeholder confidence, clearing the way for construction to begin in January 2026.
Built sustainably
Sustainability is central to the design. The residential blocks are 100% electric, with enhanced insulation and low-energy mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) reducing energy demand, while photovoltaic panels generate renewable electricity on site. The community building is targeting a BREEAM Very Good rating.