Property round-up: Kellen Homes; Legacie; Vistry; HBD; FWP; PJD Property; Warden Construction; ECD Architects
North West housebuilder, Kellen Homes, has completed the purchase of land for 191 new homes at Castleton in Rochdale.
The completion of the deal gives the green light for the new ‘Hawks View’ development on land at Heywood Road, Castleton, in Rochdale – 10 homes of which will come under the Government’s First Homes Scheme allowing first time buyers to buy a home for 30% less than its market value.
The new neighbourhood will include two-, three- and four-bedroomed family homes, with 29 homes allocated for affordable housing, including the 10 available under the First Homes Scheme. It will be built on the former railway siding land which has been vacant and derelict for more than a decade.
Ian Kelley, Chief Executive of Kellen Homes, said “This marks a key moment in this important new development for both Kellen Homes and the area of Rochdale. Hawks View is a carefully designed scheme with quality, modern homes and open space, a children’s play area and an ecology park that will bring a host of wider benefits to the local community.”
The scheme will provide 3.83 hectares of open space for local people including a large garden square that sits at the heart of the development.
The design will echo the site’s heritage following the routes of the old railway lines, with a modern children’s play area acting as a central hub for residents. As well as the communal areas, a large green open space will be transformed into an ecology park, where new habitats will be created for wildlife to thrive.
Planning permission for the development has already been granted by Rochdale Council.
The first new homes will be released for sale in January 2025, with the show homes opening in spring 2025. The first homeowners are expected to move into their new homes in summer 2025.
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Merchants Wharf
Property developers Legacie and Nexus Residential have completed their £45m Merchants Wharf project in Manchester.
This landmark development, beside the River Irwell in Salford, represents a significant milestone in the ongoing regeneration efforts of the area and underscores Legacie and Nexus Residential’s commitment to delivering exceptional residential and commercial spaces.
Merchants Wharf, an ambitious and high profile development, features a striking residential tower that has now reached completion. The development, including 196 units as well as townhouses and commercial space, will complement the changing local skyline.
International sales agency, RWinvest, successfully sold all the units off-plan and will be acquiring the commercial space as its new HQ for Greater Manchester.
“This completion marks a major achievement for Legacie and a significant enhancement for the area,” said John Morley, CEO of Legacie.
“Merchants Wharf is more than just a development, it’s a pivotal project that supports Manchester’s vision for modern, sustainable living and economic growth. We’re proud to contribute to the city’s transformation and look forward to the positive impact this project will have on the local community.”
Michael Gledhill, Director of Nexus Residential, said: “Merchants Wharf stands as a testament of Salford’s ongoing regeneration, intricately woven into the fabric of the community. We’re excited to contribute to a space that reflects the character and aspirations of its residents.”
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Lickers Lane layout
Vistry Group has partnered with Cobalt Housing to provide 66 affordable homes at Lickers Lane in Whiston, a development which forms part of Knowsley’s wider 1,600-home Halsnead Garden Village masterplan.
Vistry secured planning permission to deliver 120 homes at the site in June. The development will consist of a mixture of three- and four- bed homes, as well as 12 two-bed apartments.
This is the first partnership between Vistry and Cobalt Housing, which will make the 66 homes available for affordable rent and Rent to Buy. The remaining 54 homes will be sold on the open market by Linden Homes.
Halsnead Garden Village is the largest integrated housing and employment project in the Liverpool City Region. The development includes 1,600 homes, new green spaces and new and improved community facilities that will be accessible to all.
Gemma Hardy, Managing Director, Vistry Merseyside and Cheshire West, said: “We are absolutely committed to creating vibrant, mixed-tenure communities that address local housing needs. Partnering with Cobalt Housing at Lickers Lane allows us to provide high quality, affordable homes within the Halsnead garden village masterplan.”
Louise Davies, Executive Director of Communities and Regeneration, Cobalt Housing, said: “This is a key milestone for Cobalt as we work to achieve one of our key corporate priorities to deliver 1,000 new homes over the coming years.”
Initial enabling work on site has begun and Vistry is expected to hand over the new homes to Cobalt by March 26.
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Ground breaking at APTUS
HBD, part of Henry Boot, and Barnfield Construction, part of Barnfield Group, held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of work on site at APTUS, the JV’s strategic industrial and logistics scheme in Preston.
The £100m scheme will provide a major boost for the Lancashire economy, creating up to 1,500 jobs and attracting crucial inward investment, including first occupier Kerakoll which is expanding from its current base in Leyland.
HBD and Barnfield have secured planning permission for 800,000 sq ft of sustainable space at APTUS, which has seen strong interest from occupiers, particularly given its excellent location at junction 31A of the M6, close to the established Roman Way industrial estate.
Ed Hutchinson, Managing Director of HBD, said: “It’s great to be able to get started on site, putting the infrastructure in place to deliver this important employment scheme. Once the spine road is complete, Barnfield will begin construction on Kerakoll’s 145,000sq ft unit early next year.”
Tracy Clavell-Bate, Head of Development at Barnfield Group, said: “It’s fantastic to see work progressing at pace at APTUS – the spine road will open up and serve the entire site, alongside off-site highway improvements and new services. It Is great to be working with HBD again on our third joint venture development following the extremely successful schemes at Huyton and Preston East”.
Units are available from 25,000 sq ft to 500,000 sq ft at APTUS. The agents are Gerald Eve, Young & Co and Eckersley Property.
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VPAD facility
A game-changing £1.4m centre at Preston College that will help to create the next generation of digital experts has been completed and is ready to welcome the creative stars of the future.
The college’s music, recording and changing facilities in the Visual, Performing Arts and Digital (VPAD) School on its Fulwood campus have been transformed into cutting edge digital suites, creative and design studios, and a gaming testing room.
It will now provide a home for T-Level courses in a range of digital and creative subjects, including media production, accounting, games design and digital production, design and development.
Preston-based architecture, design and masterplanning practice, FWP, led the project to create the new learning space.
Mike Turner, associate at FWP, said: “The transformation of the VPAD is a pivotal development for the college and its digital and creative students.
“We have worked closely with the college’s digital department staff on the design and the result is very exciting. We’re also proud to be playing our part in helping create opportunities for young people in our home city.”
Simon Nixon, Preston College’s principal and chief executive, said: “This represents a significant investment in the future of our students, and will not only support our current programmes but will also pave the way for innovative new courses and opportunities.”
It is the second major Preston College refurbishment involving FWP. In 2021 its team supported the redesign of the college’s construction facility, remodelling the building, with the creation of a bright, modern exterior and a new mezzanine level for the delivery of its new T-Level courses.
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Sevendale House
The refurbishment of Sevendale House in Manchester is now complete, transforming the building to offer of a mix of 20,000 sq ft of character fitted and unfitted workspace, communal breakout and event space, a wellness studio and high quality end of journey facilities, including substantial bike storage and showers.
The initial restoration of the Grade II-listed building in 2014 created a character workspace product previously unavailable within the Northern Quarter. A decade on, this latest refurbishment sees an evolution of the offering, upgrading the tenant experience to provide higher levels of amenity that foster collaboration and enhance productivity.
The renovated workspace includes a suite of 13,000 sq ft on the fourth floor, boasting one of the best large warehouse floorplates within the city.
The refurbishment has also seen the building’s EPC rating change from a C to a B, making it one of the few listing buildings to achieve this standard.
Mark Davies, Director of PJD Property, said: “This past decade has seen a real change in working trends and habits, and this latest refurbishment is the next stage in Sevendale’s evolution.”
TJM Projects undertook the scheme of works, with OBI Property carrying out the workspace design and project management. OBI is also agent for Sevendale House.
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Warden Construction has completed work on two refurbishment projects in the education sector on behalf of Manchester City Council.
The first project has seen a complete re-roofing of a Sure Start children’s centre in Rusholme, including internal remedial works.
The rapidly deteriorating concrete tiled roof has been fully replaced with modern metal tiles, helping provide long term protection for the building, as well as a better look, enhanced security and cost savings.
A separate project has delivered a new school entrance atrium for Chapel Street Community Primary School in Levenshulme. The project included the demolition of an existing atrium and its replacement with a modern brick and aluminium building, including new foundations.
James Flitcroft, operations manager at Warden Construction, said: “Both these projects have future-proofed important education buildings that are helping to provide bright futures for young people and families.”
The Rusholme Sure Start centre is one of six roof replacement projects that Warden has completed on behalf of Manchester City Council.
Working with JBR, the project centre saw titanium grey Brit met Slate 2000 tiles replacing the original concrete tiles. The product comes with a 50-year warranty, which means the centre’s roof is protected for decades to come.
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Regent Road property
Sustainable design specialist, ECD Architects, has been contracted by Skipton Building Society to undertake an innovative retrofitting project, which aims to showcase the benefits of home energy efficiency to the building society’s members.
Retrofitting an average UK home can save residents hundreds of pounds per year and this project, on a 1930s residential property, owned by Skipton and next to its head office, will demonstrate such a transformation on a three-bedroom detached house.
ECD Architects, which has bases in Preston, London and Glasgow, has retrofitted thousands of homes across the UK, enabling them to become more energy efficient.
ECD, alongside other contractors, will transform the current EPC rated D property into an energy-efficient home, with a goal rating of EPC B, with the primary focus of providing UK homeowners and landlords with practical insights and guidance for retrofitting their own properties as cost effectively as possible.
James Traynor, MD, ECD Architects, said: “Retrofit is one of the core areas of our business. We’ve retrofitted thousands of homes across the UK to lower their environmental impact and so it’s wonderful to be working in partnership with Skipton, who are as passionate about reducing energy consumption in homes as we are.”
Charlotte Harrison, CEO Homes at Skipton Group said: “ECD’s experience in retrofitting homes across the UK makes for a perfect partnership in the project to transform Regent Road.”
