Property round-up: Greenhaus; Liverpool Waters; GRUB; Next Energy; Rawtenstall gyratory
Construction of the largest Passivhaus affordable housing scheme in the North West is nearing completion.
The finishing touches are now being made at Greenhaus, a highly sustainable development of 96 homes, which is being built on Chapel Street in Salford, opposite Salford Cathedral.
The first residents are expected to start moving into Greenhaus this spring.
The ground-breaking development is being delivered by The English Cities Fund (ECF) – a joint venture between nationwide placemaker, Muse, Legal & General and Homes England – alongside Salford housing association Salix Homes, and supported by Salford City Council.
Delegates from the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC) recently paid a visit to Greenhaus, including leaders from housing associations across the North, to find out more about how sustainable and affordable homes can be delivered on a large scale.
NHC chief executive, Tracy Harrison, said: “This is a fantastic example of green homes delivering real change in the North. Projects like this cut carbon, deliver lower bills and warmer, healthier homes, as well as creating good green jobs. This benefits residents, the economy, and the environment. We need an ambitious programme of investment from the government to build on this progress.”
The nine-storey development has been built to Passivhaus Classic certified standard, which is the low energy design standard. Passivhaus homes offer high thermal comfort and improved air quality, providing a healthier living environment and homes that are cheaper to heat and run.
The sustainable features at Greenhaus include triple glazed windows, the latest insulation technology, improved ventilation and airtightness, air source heat pumps and publicly accessible electric vehicle charging points.
The one- and two-bedroom homes will be available in a mix of tenures including social rent, affordable rent and rent-to-buy.
Greenhaus is part of ECF’s £1bn, 50-acre Salford Central transformation being delivered in partnership with Salford City Council, and will take the overall percentage of affordable homes delivered by ECF to 25% across the Chapel Street area of the masterplan.
The homes are being built by lead contractor Eric Wright Construction and were designed by architect Buttress.
Salix Homes secured funding from NatWest, along with grants from Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to help fund the multimillion-pound scheme.
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Liza Marco, Thomas Taylor, Laura Cain (E-Sign)
An expert in eSignature technology, E-Sign, which has recently opened new offices in Dublin and New York, is preparing for its third office move at Liverpool Waters, due to its rapid growth in the digital solutions market.
The Liverpool business was founded in 2012 to simplify and speed up document processing through the development of bespoke, market-leading software. The digitisation of document send processes, has also enabled E-Sign to support businesses on their Net Zero journey, helping them to reduce paper and find reliable and secure digital solutions.
In 2023, E-Sign’s development and sales teams doubled to meet growing demand, having released new integrations and features which have enabled it to expand into different markets and provide bespoke solutions to organisations and governments.
With further UK and international expansion on the horizon, the E-Sign team will move in to a 3,500 sq ft suite on the ground floor of No. 8 Princes Dock next month, in order to accommodate further investment into the team.
Liverpool Waters has supported E-Sign throughout its growth, with the business having previously been based in serviced office space at The Quay and, most recently, at No. 12 Princes Dock.
Thomas Taylor, Managing Director of E-Sign, said: “Liverpool Waters is a great location for us, with everything we need nearby. The office is modern, energy efficient and we’ve got some great views. 2024 looks set to be another exciting period of growth for E-Sign, as we further expand our products and features to meet the demands of our growing customer base, so we will be looking to expand our team further this year at No.8 Princes Dock.”
Liza Marco, Senior Asset Manager at Liverpool Waters, said: “We are always pleased to support growing businesses, like E-Sign, especially when they value and share our vision for net zero. Princes Dock continues to be a highly desirable location for forward thinking businesses, and it is wonderful to see more employees arriving here as our tenants’ businesses grow.”
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Asteer Planning, on behalf of Manchester-based venue operator GRUB, has secured planning permission for a temporary change of use at a site on Irk Street, which will be transformed into an arts and cultural events venue as part of Far East Consortium’s (FEC) wider MeadowSide development.
The Fairfield Social Club will be located within the NOMA regeneration area and is to the west of the Victoria North regeneration scheme, one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK.
A concept created by GRUB, Fairfield Social Club will be a relaxed, laid back, and inclusive destination with three distinct elements, building on GRUB’s track record of delivering high quality and family-friendly spaces.
The Garden will comprise a green outdoor drinking space, The Club will operate from an existing building and external space and will function as the main performance space, and The Shed will occupy an existing building and external area providing a casual food and drinks venue. Together, the three spaces will be able to accommodate circa 530 people.
Formerly located at the Mayfield Depot, the Fairfield Social Club hopes the move to its new location will help build on its success while also continuing to focus on street food and a positive trading environment for the budding Manchester street food community of amateur chefs.
Shilpa Lakhanpal, asset manager at FEC, said: “Projects like Fairfield Social Club are so important for us to help build the connection between Manchester city centre, and its surrounding communities, ahead of delivering thousands of new homes. Our ambition is to make sure these unique and exciting venues help put these areas on the map and showcase Manchester’s equally uniquely talented, warm and friendly hospitality industry as they continue to grow.”
Georgina Blackburn, Senior Planner at Asteer, said: “Fairfield Social Club will be a relaxed, laid back, inclusive space suitable for guests who just want to pop in for a pint in the sun as well as for people who are looking for a unique dining experience. It will transform what is an accessible and vacant brownfield site into a vibrant destination which can be enjoyed by Manchester’s residents ahead of the site’s future redevelopment.
“It will temporarily occupy the site on Irk Street, which has extant planning permission for a residential-led development as part of the MeadowSide development, which will deliver 756 new homes over the coming years.”
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Next Energy team
Liverpool-based energy retrofitting firm, Next Energy, has been appointed on a new national Heating, Renewables and Electrical framework by Fusion21 worth up to £820m across a four-year period.
The firm has been appointed to two lots, which cover domestic air source heat pumps (ASHP) and solar panels, allowing the company to design, install and service ASHP and solar systems, battery storage and associated works.
The Fusion21 framework was set up to help the owners of domestic and non-domestic buildings ensure they are safe and compliant with heating and electrical installations, and to support their journey towards carbon net zero.
Alongside traditional heating installation and electrical testing, the framework also covers innovative technologies dedicated to sustainable heating solutions.
Next Energy will join a total of 80 specialist firms which have also been appointed on the framework, now in its fourth year.
Lee McNally, Director at Next Energy, said: “To have secured a place on Fusion21’s Heating, Renewables and Electrical framework is a great achievement for Next Energy and comes right off the back of a bumper year of contract wins in 2023, which amounted to £60m.”
Chris McQuillan, Framework Manager at Huyton-based Fusion21, said: “The tender process was highly competitive and has identified the best contractors for our members to use for the delivery of a whole range of heating and electrical programmes.”
Next Energy was established in 2016 in response to the Government’s net zero ambitions. Since its inception, the company is now providing energy solutions for more than 18,000 customers across the UK.
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A concept design by Lancashire County Council’s highways engineers to greatly improve the traffic flow in and out and around Rawtenstall has been approved at the first stage by Rossendale Borough Council.
The Gyratory System scheme around St Mary’s Way and the surrounding roads will massively ease the traffic congestion reducing waiting times and making journeys through the town shorter. Improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists is also a major consideration of the changes with the latest hi tech equipment being used on signal upgrades and crossings.
The expected increase in Rossendale’s population by 2035 and the greater volume of traffic have been addressed by the plans to make the Gyratory System fit for purpose. Work is expected to begin in January 2025, and completed by March 2026.
Several options have been appraised to arrive at this scheme, which has been modelled in-depth by senior highways engineers at Lancashire County Council.
Generally, the scheme includes: Addressing the lane balance issues and installing a second lane on the A682 southbound exit leading to the M66; amending signal staging to directly improve traffic flows; a general overview of lane layouts, road markings and traffic signs; targeted carriageway widening and additional lanes.
The gyratory proposals can be viewed in detail on Rossendale Borough Council’s website: https://bit.ly/gyratoryRBC where comments can be submitted. The public can also see the plans and talk to relevant officers on: Thursday, February 15, 11am-2pm at Rawtenstall Market, and Thursday, February 22, 4pm-7pm at Rawtenstall Library.
