Property round up: Regeneration of Sir Paul birthplace starts & more

CONSTRUCTION work on the £25m regeneration Liverpool’s former Walton Hospital – the birthplace of Beatle Sir Paul McCartney –  has started with a mixed-use housing scheme.
 
The project, being developed by Mulbury, will create 125 new affordable homes for housing and regeneration organisation Riverside and 70 homes for private sale. An Aldi supermarket is also being built on part of the site.
 
Representatives from Mulbury and Riverside, were joined on-site by the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Ann O’Byrne, to mark the official start of works by building contractor Harbur Construction.

Walton Hospital, off the A59 Rice Lane, was demolished in 2011 after services were transferred to Fazakerley. Mersey Care NHS Trust’s new Clock View Hospital, which opened in 2015, now occupies part of the site.
 
Andrew Booth, land and planning director at Mulbury, said: “Before we took on this scheme, the site had been lying vacant for some time and there were complex legal, planning and technical challenges to overcome before it could be redeveloped.
 
“The remediation of the site is progressing well given the challenging nature of the project. We’re now looking forward to seeing these new homes come out of the ground over the coming months and a new community taking shape.”

Mark Patchitt, Riverside’s Director of Development and Growth, said: “The average house in Merseyside costs more than six times the average salary, with prices set to rise further as demand far outstrips supply.

“We’re working in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency – which has provided funding for this development through its Affordable Homes Programme – to deliver the homes this country needs to end the housing crisis.
 
“This development will provide shared ownership for aspirational first-time buyers, alongside affordable rent for those for whom home ownership is out of reach.”

Jeanette Grady, sales and new business manager at Riverside Home Ownership added: “Our shared ownership homes on the development will give home buyers a helping hand onto the property ladder and into a great new home.
 
“Home owners will be perfectly situated to enjoy a residential neighbourhood which has easy access to the city centre. We expect the development to be very popular.”
 
Cllr O’Byrne said: “This is a fantastic scheme which will create good quality homes and also see a new community created in this area. It is yet more evidence that we are delivering on our commitment to build 5,000 much needed new properties in the city, giving people with a range of budgets a wider choice of accommodation in the rented and private sectors.”
 
The Aldi supermarket will create up to 50 jobs and is expected to complete by summer 2016. The housing part of the scheme is due to be complete by the end of 2017.

JLL acted as planning consultants on the scheme, while Manchester and Cheshire-based law firm Primas Law provided legal advice to Mulbury on the acquisition and sale of the land. The housing part of the scheme was designed by Cheshire-based Eden Building Design.

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A SIX-figure project to transform a former council office block in Blackpool into a 4,000sq ft facility for youngsters with special educational needs (SEN) is underway.
 
Designed by architectural and planning practice, Cassidy + Ashton, the 18-week project, being delivered by Eric Wright Special Projects, part of the Eric Wright Group, includes part demolition and remodelling of the three-storey Westbury Lodge building.
 
The works, commissioned by Blackpool Council as part of the Local Education Partnership, will provide much-needed accommodation for nearby SEN providers, Park Community Academy and Woodlands Special School, with completion due in April.
 
Westbury Lodge will accommodate up to 50 young people aged between 16 and 19 and include specialist facilities designed for profound complex learning difficulties and education needs, such as severe autism and other rare syndromes.
  
The building had previously been a children’s home before being converted into office space and remained empty until work began at the end of last year.

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MARKETING of properties at the Timekeepers Square development behind Chapel Street in Salford is about to begin.

The first 36 Georgian-style properties in phase one of the build are being launched at a special event on Friday and Saturday (February 5 and 6).

Three-bedroom homes with roof terraces will be available to buy off-plan with the remaining properties, including two and four-bedroom units will be launched at a later date.

The event is strictly RSVP-only and the appointments over the weekend are on a first come, first served basis.
 
Anyone interested in finding out more about the townhouses can go to www.timekeeperssquare.co.uk or book an appointment for the event by emailing sales@timekeeperssquare.co.uk or calling 0161 989 0158.

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ALLPORT Cargo Services is relocating to Unit 704 Kings Park 4, Textilose Road, Trafford Park, Manchester.

It has taken a five-year lease on the 13,500sq ft industrial unit at an initial rent of £5.75 per sq ft and will move from the World Freight Terminal at Manchester Airport.

Allport operatse in 30 countries with a network of 450 offices and a worldwide turnover exceeding £600m.
 
Joint lettings TFC and Savills acted for the landlord Curtra Property Investment Company and  Altus Edwin Hill  acted for Allport Cargo Services.

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LIVERPOOL Hope University has officially unveiled its new £8.5m Health Science Building.

The building, delivered by GRAHAM Construction, features specialist laboratory spaces dedicated to nutrition, genomics, cell biology and psychology, along with laboratories and space for sport and exercise science.
 
It houses a 25-metre sprint track with force meters and motion capture for biomechanical analysis, a phlebotics lab for blood sampling, and treadmills and BODPODs for physiological analysis.
There is also a double-height robotics suite and engineering lab to aid the building and testing of drones.

GRAHAM worked alongside the university and project partners Watson Batty architects, structural engineers Clancy Consulting and mechanical and electrical engineers Steven A Hunt & Associates.
 
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PLANS have been submitted for the redevelopment of the former greyhound stadium at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire for housing.

Housing and regeneration specialist Galliford Try Partnerships, which markets its homes under the Linden Homes banner, has tabled the proposal to Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Partnerhsips was named as the development partner for the former greyhound track by the Council in December.

The plans outlined for the in 10-acre site, located off Thornton Road, which went on sale in 2015, will see Partnerships create 155 mixed tenure homes car parking and extensive landscaping. Of those, 110 of the units will be for open market sale under the Linden Homes North West brand and 45 will be affordable homes to be built for Cheshire West and Chester Council.

If planning is approved Partnerships aims to start construction in Spring.

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PROPERTY Moose, a property crowdfunding specialist, has secured £440,000 of equity funding from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, bringing its total raised to date to £1m.

This funding will bolster the significant growth enjoyed by the company over the last year, and will be used to refine the company’s digital platform, enhancing user experience through marketing and technological innovation.

Based in Liverpool, with additional offices in London, Property Moose is one of the UK’s leading property crowdfunding platforms, allowing members to invest in residential property from £10.

The site has already concluded a wide range of crowd-funded property acquisitions located in key buy-to-let areas around the country, giving people the chance to diversify their investment portfolio.

Recently, Darren Schindler became executive chairman, and participated in the fund raise.

He was previously managing director of Business & Commercial Banking at Metro Bank, and has also held senior roles at Barclays Bank and HBOS. In addition, he has been operationally involved in earlier stage businesses, including a property-focused lending business.

Schindler ‘s role will focus on sustaining the firm’s momentum, and building its reputation in the alternative asset class through its strong fintech platform.