£35m deal to create 268 eco-friendly Cheshire homes
EQUANS, the new name for energy, services, and regeneration specialist ENGIE’s services-led activities, has secured a £35m contract to deliver a sustainable new housing development in Winsford, Cheshire.
It will deliver a mixed tenure scheme of 268 homes, as part of a wider partnership that includes QWEST, Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Riverside Group. Homes will be available for open market sale, shared ownership, and affordable rent.
The consortium has secured Homes England Accelerated Construction Funding to deliver the project.
The £450m Local Authority Accelerated Construction (LAAC) programme was launched to help unlock public land and increase the speed of delivery on local authority housing schemes across England.
EQUANS has also worked alongside environmental assessors to progress an energy strategy that exceeds Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning policy and will support its wider net zero carbon ambitions.
This includes the use of enhanced building fabrics, highly efficient heating systems and photovoltaic (PV) solar panels across every plot to optimise sustainability.
Several other additional ecological enhancements will also be incorporated into the scheme, which started this month, including the creation of new ponds and seven new grass playing pitches for the community, as well as a new footpath that will link to wider areas of Winsford.
Tim Wood, regional managing director at EQUANS UK & Ireland (North West), said: “We’re delighted to be working with key partners to deliver this innovative housing scheme, creating a new, low carbon neighbourhood for the Cheshire community.
“Sustainability and modern construction methods are at the core of this scheme and the heart of our business strategy – as we look to support our partners embrace the energy transition we face and work towards a net zero carbon future.”
Ben Cummins, managing director at QWEST, said: “QWEST is proud to deliver new affordable homes to the area, bringing both our shareholders’ skills to bear as we continue on our journey towards net carbon zero. This is the second scheme for QWEST homes, and we will continue to ensure local supply chain and employment are key drivers in this and future schemes.”
Nick Jones, Riverside’s director of development, said: “We are delighted to be the preferred registered provider partner to deliver 100 affordable homes in an area of high demand in Cheshire. The properties will be a mix of two- and three-bedroom properties with gardens and off-street parking, consisting of 47 rent to buy and 53 shared ownership which will enable people to get on the housing ladder and own their home.”
At the beginning of July, ENGIE announced the creation of EQUANS, bringing together its global service activities under a new brand, with 74,000 employees and revenues of 12 billion euros. In the UK & Ireland, all of ENGIE’s activity in technical services, facilities management, construction and regeneration and its energy capabilities in smart buildings, green mobility, district and embedded energy, and renewables, are now all delivered under the EQUANS brand.
