Property round-up: Urban Chain; RSAP; New Care; Salix Homes; Pugh Auctions; Cheyne Capital; Davies Harrison Real Estate
Manchester peer-to-peer energy exchange specialist, UrbanChain, has agreed an innovative new power purchase deal which will deliver locally sourced renewable energy to the growing tenant base at Quorum Park.
Shelborn Asset Management, landlord of Quorum Park, near Newcastle, has signed the exclusive deal with UrbanChain, which allows individuals and companies to sell electricity to others directly and build their own green energy markets.
Under the terms of the 12-month deal, which starts from December 1, 2023, Quorum Park will be able to secure electricity from 100% renewable sources.
UrbanChain is able to match generators of renewable energy and consumers on a half hourly basis – resulting in cheaper energy bills and higher margins for energy generators.
Mark Rabinowitz, director at Shelborn, said: “This is an important deal, seeing us partner with a home-grown renewable energy provider to power our current and future needs. UrbanChain offers the greenest possible option for our needs, reflecting our own sustainability ambitions. We’re investing in developing plans longer term to generate our own power as well as sourcing clean, reliable energy from local power producers first wherever possible.”
Somayeh Taheri, CEO and founder of UrbanChain, said: “Businesses based at Quorom Park will benefit greatly from this, both financially and in relation to meeting their own net zero ambitions.”
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CGI of Salford RSAP scheme
Work has started on a site at Eccles New Road, Salford, to build eight new move-on homes for the homeless.
The Eccles New Road site is the first of two sites in Salford to deliver critically needed homes as part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, known as RSAP. The Eccles New Road site also incorporates six affordable two-bedroom houses.
Salford City Council, Identity Consult and Architects Buttress are developing two sites, the current one at Eccles New Road and one in the development pipeline in Weaste. The move-on homes are specifically designed to provide all the elements of a home in a small, compact design. The aim is to provide the occupier with a comfortable and secure base from which to establish themselves with an address, a bank account and through to employment.
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, said: “As part of our long term strategy to ensure that everyone has a home, this is a key project to start on-site for Salford. This project is a crucial part of the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme and reflects our dedication to addressing homelessness.”
The design team at Buttress Architects worked with the local charity, Loaves and Fishes and Salford’s homeless community to ensure the designs worked for the individuals. The two-storey self-contained apartments have pitched roofs and are clad in red brick to correlate with the local area. Each unit will have its own front door and open-plan living areas, and while ground-floor units have level access, the upper-floor apartments open to a shared deck and stair.
Ben Tabiner, from Buttress, said: “From the very beginning, we approached the design by including all the normal elements that a domestic house would have ensuring that the occupant feels valued and secure. Another important element was to ensure that each unit had its own front door, which not only gave a sense of home but enabled the occupier to have a formal address and therefore a bank account and employment opportunities.”
The homes are due to be completed in the summer 2024.
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Egerton Manor
Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Mohammed Ayub, along with cabinet member for adult social care, Cllr Linda Thomas, have opened a new £13m care facility in Bolton.
Located on Blackburn Road, on the site of the former Egerton House Hotel, Egerton Manor is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art 64-bed care centre, the latest care facility to be opened by Altrincham-based New Care.
It will provide residential, 24-hour nursing, dementia and respite care for those in Bolton and the surrounding areas.
Each of the 64 fully furnished bedrooms features an en suite private wet room, and the home boasts a selection of communal lounges, reading rooms and dining rooms, spa-assisted bathrooms, a nail bar, hair salon and access to landscaped gardens and outdoor terraces.
Commissioning director at New Care, Dawn Collett, said: “It has been our pleasure to welcome the Mayor and Cllr Thomas to Egerton Manor. We were delighted that they were able to perform the official opening for us and spend some time chatting with our staff team and first residents. It was a great morning.”
Now officially open and welcoming its first residents, Egerton Manor is recruiting locally with approximately 100 jobs expected to be created over the next 12 months in multiple roles including nurses, carers, hospitality, housekeeping, wellbeing and activities, maintenance and catering.
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Julie Pemberton
Housing association Salix Homes has installed solar panels on homes across Salford – saving hundreds of pounds for residents.
Salix Homes has recently completed solar panel installations to 49 properties after securing funding through the Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). Customers say they’re already seeing the benefits on their energy bills.
Julie Pemberton lives in Weaste and said: “I have had the solar panels installed now for several months and I’m saving roughly £4-5 per week on my electricity. I know this as fact, as being on a pre-payment metre allows me to see my usage and expenditure. Having the solar panels installed will save me over £200 per year and helps with climate change – it’s a win-win situation.”
David Malsom, sustainability manager at Salix Homes, said: “Our latest solar panel project is another step forward in our ongoing commitment to sustainability and improving the lives and homes of our customers.”
Salix Homes has worked alongside its contractor partner, Emanuel Whittaker, to carry out the solar panel installations.
Terry Kidman, contracts manager at Emanuel Whittaker, said, during the work they also managed to undertake a number of enhancements to the ventilation of the properties that should contribute to both the health and wellbeing of the residents, and the fabric of the buildings themselves.
Salix Homes secured £236,000 from the SHDF to help fund the project, following a successful bid from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on behalf of social housing providers across Greater Manchester.
The next major decarbonisation project for Salix Homes is a £10m eco-transformation at neighbouring tower blocks Grey Friar Court and White Friar Court, which is also being partially funded via a SHDF grant.
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The former Barclays Bank branch on Aughton Street, in Ormskirk town centre, is due to go under the hammer in auctioneer Pugh’s online property sale next week, on December 6.
The 4,000 sq ft corner building, which closed as a bank in October last year and is adjoined by a branch of Costa Coffee and close to Starbucks and a Marks & Spencer Foodhall, has been given a £350,000 guide price and consists of three storeys and a basement.
Pugh associate director, Edward Feather, said: “The former Barclays branch is a striking building right in the heart of Ormskirk, where the Edge Hill University campus is a dynamic presence in the town and provides a boost across the whole local market.
“The town is in a good strategic location between Liverpool, Southport and Preston and, although fairly small, it has an affluent and growing population and is a really great place to invest.
“There’s a range of potential new uses to which this property could be adapted, with the necessary planning consent, and we have already received several enquiries from interested parties.”
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Alexandra Mill
Alternative asset manager, Cheyne Capital, has opened its impact care home, Alexandra Mill, in Crewe, Cheshire.
Cheyne has partnered with Liberty Care Developments to create the state-of-the-art care home, which will be operated by the Anavo Group.
It said this type of care home is usually the preserve of only the small percentage of people who can afford it. However, at Alexandra Mill, Cheyne is pioneering the provision of 35% of the rooms to publicly-funded residents at the rates paid by, and affordable to, the local authorities and the NHS.
Consistent with Cheyne Impact Real Estate’s tenure blind approach throughout its property portfolio, which aims to reduce inequalities, both private-pay and publicly-funded residents will benefit from identical facilities and care services.
Alexandra Mill comprises 72 ensuite private bedrooms. Residents have 24-hour access to general nursing, residential or dementia care from trained and experienced staff, and full board with an in-house chef and catering team. There is a choice of communal or fully serviced private dining areas, plus a full laundry service and a hair salon on-site. Other amenities include a café, shop, library, games room, club room, audio-visual room and IT hub as well as external offerings such as a gardening programme utilising the greenhouse and other facilities to encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Matt Floyd, of Cheyne Impact Real Estate, said: “Our Impact Real Estate strategy continually strives to challenge the norm and deliver not only long term sustainable investments but also long term sustainability to our residents, especially those who would typically not have access to the highest quality properties.”
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Acting on behalf of a private investor, Davies Harrison Real Estate has let a 7,920 sq ft warehouse on Guide Street in Salford, to Fresh Start Waste Services having agreed a seven-year lease at £65,000 per annum.
Max Seed, of Davies Harrison, said: “The detached building drew significant interest from a great number of potential occupiers all vying for the property due to location and the fact that it also benefited from a large, secure yard.
“Properties such as these are still frustratingly scarce and after going to best bids, we secured this letting with Fresh Waste Services as it looks to expand its regional operations.”
Roger Hannah represented Fresh Start Waste Services.
