New homes scheme will provide 165 units in Blackburn

A 165-homes scheme has been unveiled for North East Blackburn.

Partnerships business Vistry Partnerships and Together Housing Group are behind the proposal, having exchanged on a site from Blackburn and Darwen Council and two private sellers, brought forward by Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors.

The new site, in Sunny Bower, strengthens Vistry Partnerships’ and Together Housing Group’s existing joint venture, which is currently building out a residential development of 235 homes in Sandymoor, Halton.

The site, at Whalley Old Road, will provide open market two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom houses which will be sold by Vistry under its Bovis Homes sales brand.

This marks the first time that Bovis has had a presence in Blackburn and Lancashire and is the most northerly site in the country where Vistry are selling the Bovis branded product. Together Housing Group will manage the sale of the affordable homes, which will be offered in shared ownership tenure.

The site benefits from outline planning permission, with a reserved matters application set to be submitted later this summer. Construction work is set to commence before the end of the year, with the entire build programme estimated to be completed by 2026.

Stephen Teagle, Vistry Partnerships chief executive, said: “We’ve worked closely with the local authority throughout the process of acquiring this site, and now we can work in partnership with Together Housing Group to deliver a high quality new development for Blackburn.

“Utilising the strengths of Vistry Group, we are introducing Bovis Homes to the area for the first time. As one of the largest providers of affordable homes in the country, we’re delighted to be delivering more affordable homes in beautiful places within the North West, helping us to achieve our own Project Pace ambitions, which sets an ambitious target of delivering 8,000 homes per annum by 2026.”

Cllr Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “This is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when we work closely with landowners to bring forward quality sites. We are incredibly proud to be a growing borough with an ambitious vision for the future and we’re carving out a strong reputation as a place to do business.

“Locally, we have listened to feedback from residents and have included affordable housing within the proposals, bungalows and also retained the walking routes that we know are enjoyed – improving them with new seating areas, too. This is an opportunity to deliver quality new homes in a popular area of the town and I look forward to seeing the progress.”

Kevin Ruth, chief executive of Together Housing Group, said: “The site will provide affordable housing through shared ownership, these quality homes will provide much needed housing to local people and help fill a housing gap in the area.

“The partnership will help people to acquire homes at more affordable prices without compromising on quality and comes at a time when it’s extremely hard to get a footing on the property market.”