Build partner appointed on £29m affordable homes development

Countryside Partnerships has been appointed by Birchwood-based Your Housing Group as build partner for the first phase of its development at the Halsnead Garden Village in Whiston, Knowsley.

The £29m contract includes 158 affordable homes that form the initial phase of the development.

The homes will have a mix of one-bed apartments, two-, three- and four-bed houses, and be available in shared ownership, rent to buy, and affordable rent tenures.

The site is part of the considerable Garden Village development, which will eventually consist of approximately 1,600 new homes, at least 22.5 hectares of employment land, 33 hectares of new greenspace and a new 28-hectare country park.

Its location offers good access to Huyton, Prescot and Liverpool city centre via road and public transport and is also close to motorway links for Manchester and Cheshire, making it an accessible location.

Lorraine Donnelly, Development Director for Your Housing Group, said: “The garden village principles with community facilities and green spaces are very much in line with our vision to not just deliver quality homes, but to unlock affordable living and build thriving communities.

“Thank you to Knowsley Borough Council and Homes England for their support in this project and showing true partnership working.”

Gemma Hardy, Managing Director, Countryside Partnerships Merseyside and Cheshire West, said: “Your Housing Group is a valued partner and we’re very pleased to be working with them at Halsnead Garden Village, bringing much needed affordable housing to the area.

“The new development will help to make a significant contribution to the area’s affordable housing supply, becoming an important part of the wider Garden Village.”

This development will be funded through Your Housing Group’s Strategic Partnership with Homes England. Your Housing Group was announced as one of the Government Housing Agency’s Strategic Partners in January 2019, receiving £87.5m of funding in line with the Government’s aspiration to provide 40,000 affordable new homes across the country.

Construction work began in March 2024, with an estimated project completion date by spring 2026.