Property round-up: Dairyground Farm; Salford Council; Northern Trust; Plus Dane; Beyond Law Group; Stockroom; Torus
A former agricultural small holding, currently used for car repairs and open storage, has been granted approval by Stockport Council’s planning committee, to provide new housing.
The 2.74 hectare site at Dairyground Farm on Lytham Drive in Bramhall will deliver up to 60 new homes, with 30 being compliant with the council’s affordable housing policy.
The outline planning application was submitted by Wain Estates and land director Ryan James said: “While technically within Stockport’s green belt, this is a site which has already been developed and forms a natural extension to Bramhall offering easy access to the town’s amenities.
“A variety of uses currently exist on the land, along with buildings of varying quality.
“Our plans will deliver a carefully considered, high quality residential scheme centred around an existing pond, with enhanced walking routes and improved rights of way, whilst regenerating a brownfield site.
“Importantly, it will also make a significant contribution to the borough’s affordable housing supply.”
In its report, the council’s planning officers concluded: “Given the location, the scale of existing buildings, and the likely built form at this outline stage, it is considered that developing this site would not result in substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.”
Wain Estates will now market the site to housing developers who will submit a detailed planning application.
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A review of Salford City Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme in Eccles, Barton, and Winton shows it is helping to improve housing conditions and make landlords more responsible.
Introduced in September 2022, the five-year scheme ensures landlords meet required standards for privately rented properties, helping to tackle poor property and tenancy management. So far, 704 properties have been licensed under the scheme, with more applications in progress.
The council is also taking action against landlords who have not yet applied.
The scheme, which requires landlords to obtain a licence and meet a set of management conditions, has helped ensure that privately rented homes meet safety standards, including annual gas safety checks, functioning smoke alarms, and electrical safety compliance.
More than 400 landlords and property managers have been checked to make sure they are responsible and fit to manage rental homes.
Lead member for housing and anti-poverty, Cllr Tracy Kelly, said: “This scheme is making a real difference by improving private rental housing in Eccles, Barton, and Winton.
“It ensures tenants have safe, good quality homes while holding landlords to account. We will continue to work with landlords who follow the rules but take strong action against those who don’t.”
The scheme has also helped to resolve tenant complaints, improve landlord engagement, and support wider enforcement efforts. So far, the council has issued civil penalties amounting to £45,250 against landlords failing to comply.
Salford City Council says it will keep working to find unlicensed properties and make sure landlords follow their responsibilities, helping to improve housing for local people.
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Northern Trust Land and Breck Homes have submitted a planning application for a residential development at Fleet Lane, St Helens.
The proposal, submitted by planning consultant DePol Associates on March 12, seeks approval for 54 affordable homes.
The proposed site will include a range of one-to-four-bedroom houses and maisonettes as well as new open space, including the construction of a children’s play area.
The development will include the demolition of an existing house to create access to the new site, which will also be complemented by associated infrastructure and a biodiversity enhancement area, including the planting of native trees, grasses and wildflowers.
Additional land under the applicant’s control will be dedicated to further ecological improvements.
The site has been brought forward by a joint venture between Northern Trust and Breck, with Northern Trust, acting as land promoter, working alongside Breck, which has supported the planning process and will lead construction of the development if planning is granted.
Alexis De Pol, managing director of De Pol Associates, said: “The proposed development will deliver high quality, affordable homes while incorporating significant biodiversity enhancements to benefit the local environment.”
Andy Garnett, managing director of Breck Homes, said: “There is a real need for
affordable housing across the UK, but particularly in the St Helens area. Filling this growing demand requires a range of different approaches to development including likeminded organisations working together in creative ways.
“This application aims to bring forward a sustainable, forward-thinking development and we’re looking forward to working with the relevant parties to progress it.”
Stephen Glenn, land director at Northern Trust, said: “We look forward to a successful outcome and the possibility of further joint ventures in due course. We are hopeful of the full support of St Helens MBC to help bring forward this much needed development, which will provide quality homes for local residents while ensuring biodiversity is enhanced and protected.”
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Chris Morris
Liverpool-based Plus Dane Housing has secured £2.573m from Wave 3 of the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund, through Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
The funding is provided by the Government’s Warm Homes initiative to improve the energy performance of homes and follows two previously successful rounds of funding through the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF).
The funding will be matched by Plus Dane to create a £5m programme, allowing it to deliver energy efficiency improvements to more than 300 of its homes.
The funding will pay for improvements that will vary depending on the requirements of each home, and include loft insulation, solar panels, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation, low energy lights, internal and external wall insulation.
This latest energy efficiency funding follows successful projects over the past few years through Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the SHDF.
Funding through Wave 1 and 2 has already delivered improvements to more than 600 Plus Dane homes, following successful bids totalling £6m, all matched by Plus Dane.
In total Plus Dane has delivered almost £12m of energy efficiency improvements to its homes across the Liverpool City Region since 2023 through these funding streams.
Chris Morris, executive director customer, communities and homes, said: “We are investing £62m in our existing homes between 2024 and 2027 including projects like this which will make our homes warmer and more affordable to live in.
“Keeping our homes warm and safe is our main priority and customers have already seen the benefits of the work done so far. We are grateful to the combined authority for their support which means we can improve even more homes in the coming years.”
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Beyond Law Group has opened its new office in Alderley Edge, marking a significant milestone in its strategic expansion across the North West.
This move is part of the group’s successful hub-and-spoke strategy, which targets Manchester as a central hub while extending its reach into key ‘spoke’ locations such as Alderley Edge and the Cheshire triangle.
The Alderley Edge office will serve as a central resource for the Cheshire community, offering a full suite of legal services through Beyond Law Group’s four specialist practices: McAlister Family Law, Beyond Corporate Law, Home Property Law and the newly established Vault Private Client.
The opening of the Alderley Edge office represents a key step in Beyond Law Group’s wider growth strategy, it says, strengthening its regional footprint while reinforcing its position as an innovative and forward thinking legal services provider.
Beyond Law Group CEO and founder, Matt Fleetwood, said: “We are incredibly proud to open our new Alderley Edge office, which represents a major milestone for Beyond Law Group.”
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Stockroom library
Stockport is preparing to open a new chapter in its transformation with the launch of Stockroom – officially opening on May 24.
This ambitious £14.5m cultural and creative hub is set to breathe new life into the heart of the town centre. More than just a venue, Stockroom is a key part of Stockport Council’s £1bn transformation, designed to bring people together through culture, learning, and creativity.
Located in previously disused retail units, Stockroom has been brought to life through funding from the Future High Streets Fund, which aims to rejuvenate town centres across the country. It’s a space for everyone – whether exploring a book, enjoying live performances, getting creative, or simply meeting up with friends.
Visitors will find a brand new town centre library, offering a modern, welcoming space for reading, learning, and discovery, a dedicated children’s creative learning space. Young people can learn new skills and benefit from cutting-edge learning and IT facilities.
It also includes Stockroom Studios, a multi-purpose events space that will host a diverse year-round programme of activities, a café bar, and Stockport’s historical archives, preserving the town’s rich heritage and making it accessible to all.
Cllr Mark Hunter, leader of Stockport Council, said: “The anticipation has been building, and we are absolutely thrilled to share the opening date for Stockroom. This is a key milestone in Stockport’s £1bn regeneration plans, and we’re so proud to see it come to fruition.”
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris, said: ““This marks another milestone moment in the council’s transformative work to the town centre and will support our national mission to boost growth and renewal across the country.”
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Chris Bowen and project manager Hannah Mahoney
An affordable housing scheme of more than 100 properties featuring a £250,000 biodiversity investment is beginning to hand over in rural Cheshire.
Housing association Torus’s £22.4m Latimer Fields development on the northern outskirts of Crewe sees 73 trees and 740m of hedgerow being planted.
An existing pond is being revitalised and a new one built along with the landscaping of open spaces and grassed areas to introduce more wildlife to the site.
In keeping with the environmentally-friendly focus, all properties have electric car charging ports and integrated solar panels with the electricity generated being used to power the homes, with any surplus fed back to the National Grid.
Built by Breck on previously unmanaged agricultural pasture land, the affordable homes are part of Cheshire East Council’s Local Plan Strategy.
Of the 104 homes, 62 are for affordable rent with a mixture of one- and two-bedroom apartments and two- and three-bedroom houses.
There are 42 shared ownership homes on the site with two-, three- and four-bedroom houses, with some properties still available.
Managing director at Torus Developments, Chris Bowen, said: “Latimer Fields provides a variety of high quality, much needed affordable green properties in the area but also contributes financially to key infrastructure the wider community can benefit from, such as health and education.”
Breck director, Andy Garnett, said: “It is heart warming to see handovers already taking place two years after we started on site.”
Latimer Fields is named after George Latimer who was the first custodian of Crewe’s Queens Park which was known as ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ after being dedicated to local people to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.
