Member Article

Redrow house-building programme progresses as Liverpool sites agreed

The first sites for a scheme which may eventually deliver 1,500 new homes and bring a further 1,000 back into use in Liverpool have been agreed.

Earlier this year, the city council announced a new partnership with affordable housing provider Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH), private developer Redrow Homes and property contractor Wilmott Dixon to drive up the range and quality of properties in the city.

Under the plan, Redrow Homes and LMH will jointly build 1,500 new homes and LMH aims to bring up to 1,000 back into use as part of a £205 million investment over the next five years.

A list of five sites and properties which, subject to consultation with the local community and planning approval, will deliver around 200 new and refurbished properties for the first phase, has been approved.

The first five sites are:

New homes

• Watergate School in Woolton, on the site of the former Sunflower Centre – approximately 25 houses for owner occupied market sales

• Part of the original Holly Lodge School in West Derby – approximately 70 houses/apartments for owner occupied market sales and refurbished Grade II lodges with wildlife features preserved

• Leighton Dene Day Care Centre in Norris Green – more than 20 properties for affordable rent

Refurbishments

• Marwood Tower in Everton – around 60 units for over 55s and more than 20 new apartments for affordable rent around the site boundary

• Normanton Avenue in St Michael’s – around eight self-contained apartments for affordable rent

Redrow and LMH are now surveying the properties and land to produce plans to show how the houses will look and how the new residential area will be designed.

After consultation with the local community, the plans will be submitted for planning consent, with the partnership targeting next spring for their first start on site.

Director of Assets at LMH, Maggi Howard, said: “The identification of sites to kick start this programme is great news for Liverpool. LMH is now focusing on drawing up plans so projects can start on site early in 2015.”

Redrow Homes local managing director Steve Greenhalgh, said: “This latest step brings us closer to delivering the new homes the city needs. Subject to planning permission we’re hopeful that the first project could be ready to start shortly and that, together with the rest of the partners, we will then be able to deliver a rolling programme of developments across the city.

“The beauty of this partnership approach is the way it combines new-build with refurbishment of empty homes and will provide housing of all types from affordable properties through to large executive homes.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .