PlaceFirst in £1.7m Colne regen scheme
MANCHESTER developer PlaceFirst and housing association Together Housing Group are renovating 27 empty homes in Colne, Lancashire, that were due for demolition under the previous Government’s Pathfinder housing market renewal programme.
The £1.7m scheme involves the refurbishment and remodelling of terraced properties in Walton Street to create one three-bed and 26 two-bed homes for rent.
Construction work will start this month and is due to be completed in next May with the first release of homes planned for November 2014.
On completion, the homes will be managed by Housing Pendle, part of Together Housing Group, and owned by PlaceFirst.
David Smith-Milne, founder and managing director of Manchester-based PlaceFirst said: “The homes we are working on will be stripped back to their shells and completely refurbished to create affordable, high quality homes with household energy costs reduced by 60% in most cases.”
Julie Whittaker, Pendle Council’s housing & regeneration manager, said: “These high quality refurbishments will not only improve this area of Colne, but will help to provide much-needed affordable homes in the area, whilst bringing empty properties back into use.”
The designer on the scheme is PlaceFirst Architects, the quantity surveyors is Appleyard & Trew, and WML Consulting has been retained as structural engineer. Building services are being provided by BCM Consulting.
PlaceFirst is working on two other former Pathfinder schemes, a £5.5m project to create 51 apartments and houses from 28 empty Victorian terraced properties in Morecambe and the refurbishment of 200 empty homes in two phases in Woodnook, Accrington in a joint venture with housing association Twin Valley Homes and Hyndburn Borough Council.
