New housing round up: Whalley Range; Baltic Triangle; Withington; Widnes; Burnley; Chester

Great Places Housing Group has launched a public consultation on its proposals for a plan to create the UK’s first purpose-built and co-produced majority LGBTQ+ Extra Care housing scheme in Whalley Range, south Manchester.

The development is planned for the site of the former Spire Hospital in Russell Road, Whalley Range, which was demolished in 2019 and the brownfield site has since remained vacant.

The proposals for the majority Extra Care housing scheme have been developed with the input of the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council and LGBT Foundation. The planned scheme will deliver 80 one- and two-bedroom social rented apartments for older people in a brick building of four to five storeys. The low-carbon scheme will include shared facilities, lounges and treatment rooms and landscaped gardens which will look to ensure an overall net gain of trees on the site.

The site will also include a neighbouring separate shared ownership block consisting of around 40 apartments, a mix of 1 and 2 bed apartments, delivering affordable homes to first time buyers and eligible customers, helping to address emerging affordability issues in places such as Whalley Range.

Residents will be able to see the plans and give their views at public consultation meetings at the site on Russell Road on Friday 12 January 2-8pm and Saturday 13 January from 12-2pm.

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Central Park Exterior

Nexus Residential has started construction on 174 state-of-the-art eco-apartments at the core of the Baltic Triangle in Liverpool City Centre.

The £35 million Central Park scheme, due for completion in the first quarter of 2025, includes a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom apartments with five-star hotel-style reception and concierge, as well as a private roof terrace with spectacular views of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

The development will also include cycle storage, secure underground car parking and a gymnasium for residents, while £1 million has been invested into an adjoining public piazza inspired by the iconic Royal Albert Dock, which will include sculptures, floral arches, trees, benches, alcoves and artwork.

The development is set to include state-of-the-art eco-friendly features such as solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, heat recovery systems, LED lighting and air source heat pumps, with Nexus set to deliver a centralised residential island in its New York City and Central Park-style creation and has pledged to plant 100 trees for every apartment purchased at the scheme.

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Southway’s Pellowe House

Work has begun to demolish the former Pellowe House on Francis Road, Withington, Manchester to make way for 24 new one and two-bedroom apartments from Southway Housing Trust.

Grant funding from development partners Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, through the Brownfield funding scheme, helped to ensure the development progressed. 

The £4.2 million development will be built by developer Manchester-based J Greenwood Builders to comply with the latest energy efficiency requirements, with completion due in the summer of 2025. 

Electric car charging points and measures including high quality insulation and heating systems will reduce the energy cost for the new tenants. This will help contribute to the city council’s target of 50 per cent of new housing to be either zero carbon or low carbon by 2025.

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Miller Homes, Wilbury Park

Miller Homes has purchased land intended for a development in Widnes on a 42-acre site just off Lunts Heath Road. The development will be known as Lunts Heath Rise and will bring 328 sustainable new homes to the area, 66 of which will be offered as affordable tenures.

The scheme will provide 12 one, 39 two, 165 three, 101 four, and 11 five-bedroom properties to Widnes, creating hundreds of jobs in the process.

Proposals were accepted by Halton Borough Council’s development management committee in 2023. Lunts Heath rise will have access to open land, play spaces, and two new access points from the main road. 

Miller Homes will contribute upwards of £1.2m to the local area via section 106, agreeing to support with improving open and recreational spaces as well as improving transport options in the area. Over £150,000 to be contributed towards open space and recreations areas, £875,000 for Highway improvements and £250,000 for 12 month bus passes for all new residents. 

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Upperbanks

Manchester-based Urban Bubble has been taken on to let and manage the 242 apartments, which are part of the £60m Upperbanks development in Rochdale. The company is working with Rochdale Borough Council to manage rentals at the new apartment complex.

The apartment complex includes high quality communal areas, a concierge service and landscaped gardens. The move means that the apartments, which are a mixture of studio, one and two beds and sits alongside a 146 room Hampton by Hilton Hotel, which opened in September this year.

The development is steps away from the Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure complex in the heart of Rochdale town centre, which opened in 2020 as part of a wider £400m regeneration programme. It is also close to the Metrolink network and Rochdale train station, which operates six trains an hour into Manchester.

Michael Howard, managing director and owner of urbanbubble, said: “The Upperbanks scheme has created high quality build to rent accommodation in the heart of Rochdale, which easily compares to the best on offer in Manchester, but at more accessible prices.”

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Prospect Homes

Prospect Homes has secured planning consent from Burnley Borough Council for 200 new homes on Woodplumpton Road, Burnley.

The 21-acre site will be the largest site the housebuilder has secured and will include 200 homes ranging in size from two to four-bedrooms and 180 will be available for private sale, with the remaining 10% being allocated as affordable homes, double the planning policy requirement. These will be available through shared ownership or affordable rent.

Michael Orgill, managing director at Prospect Homes said: “This is a huge accomplishment for Prospect Homes and we are now looking forward to starting on site in May 2024 and subsequently launching sales.  This development will be a great place to live with high-quality homes and green, open space and all with great connectivity to the wider area.”

Prospect Homes will invest over £1.2 million in the local community including over £560,000 in education, £75,000 for offsite public open space, £130,000 for offsite highway improvements and over £380,000 for offsite biodiversity.

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College Park

Castle Green Homes is among the partners redeveloping the former University of Law Chester Campus in Christleton and is building 24 homes on the northern parcel of the 2.7 hectare site, close to the sports pitches.

Planning was approved in April 2022 and work to prepare the land for new homes began in summer 2023.

The homebuilder is now preparing to open a fully furnished show home at the development, known as College Park from January 13, when the first five properties will also be released for sale.