Liverpool City Region Combined Authority approves £2m for housing scheme

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has approved more than £2m to enable the development of 240 homes at Moss Nook in St Helens.

Located two km from St Helens town centre, Moss Nook is a large, complex brownfield site, historically used for mining and a number of industrial processes.

The Combined Authority’s support, of up to £2,050,000, will be used to support the remediation and infrastructure work necessary for the first phase of the site’s development. The whole Moss Nook site could be developed to include up to 900 homes.

The funding has been awarded to Harworth Estates Investments, which specialises in the assembly and remediation of complex, former industrial sites, preparing the land for onward sale in the form of serviced plots for construction by housing developers.

Speaking about the funding, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “We have a very clear policy that we should look at brownfield sites first when building the homes that we need in our city region.

“As land previously used for mining and other industrial processes, and located close to the centre of St Helens, Moss Nook is exactly the type of brownfield site we should be developing and I’m pleased that our £2m funding will enable this project to happen.”

Cllr David Baines, leader of St Helens Council, added: “This plot of land, which is located between Sutton, Parr and Bold, has been derelict for a number of years and has been plagued by anti-social behaviour.

“So it is great to see this funding which will help make the site a suitable spot for development in the future and has the potential to unlock new housing and additional facilities in the area.

“We are committed to putting these eyesore brownfield sites back into use and funding like this is vital in helping us to make sure that can happen.”

Matthew Whiteley, development manager at Harworth Group, said: “Moss Nook is Harworth’s first residential development in the North West following our purchase of the site in 2018 and we’re keen to exercise our technical skill in bringing forward this complex site as we have done on other former industrial land across the North of England and the Midlands.

“This grant provides the impetus to bring forward the site’s first phase to the market later this year and will finally begin to fulfil the potential of one of the region’s largest single residential developments following years of stalled development.”