Builder seals land deal with council to deliver 164 new homes

St Helens Council has sold land next to the railway station to housebuilder Vistry Partnerships which plans to create 164 homes at the Thatto Heath site.

Vistry plans to sell 81 homes on the open market, under its Linden Homes brand, with the remaining properties being developed for growth and regeneration group, Torus.

Also, Vistry has committed to delivering 25% of the homes as accessible with the M42 level of disability compliance and five per cent of homes with the enhanced level of M43 disability compliance.

The previously developed site, to the south of St Helens town centre, has been earmarked for redevelopment by the local authority for some time.

Vistry has worked closely with the council to unlock the potential for the scheme. This included overcoming a number of constraints and viability factors, which have been supported by the securing of funding from the Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram’s Brownfield Land Fund to undertake the remediation work required.

Steve Rotheram said: “New homes are an investment in all our futures – they give families the opportunity to realise their home ownership ambitions, attract new funding into our towns, and help us to retain the talent that drives our economy.

“Our funding is acting as a catalyst for developments just like this one right across our region that are making a real, genuine difference to people’s lives. By specifically targeting brownfield sites we can transform once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities – and protect more of our green spaces, too.”

Subject to planning permission, work is due to start on site by the end of the year, with the development completed in 2026.

Ian Hilliker, Vistry Partnerships North West managing director, said: “The highly accessible and prominent site can play an important regeneration role in the wider community, delivering a range of mixed-tenure homes that will give local people a great chance to live here.”

Steve Alcock, director of development and sales at Torus Developments, said: “St Helens is one of Torus’s heartlands and we are investing heavily in the borough. We’re thrilled that this latest partnership will see even more new affordable homes built for the local community.”