£22m riverside development taking shape
WORK to create a £22m riverside residential development in East Lancashire is now well underway, creating over 400 jobs locally, as well as providing new homes and a community boost of around £450,000 for the local area.
This will include a contribution of more than £290,000 towards primary school provision in the area.
The new development, under construction by David Wilson Homes (DWH) North West, has been named Monk’s Cross and is located on Mitton Road, Whalley.
The 15-acre site has planning consent secured for a total of 127 homes – 30% of which will be affordable.
A mix of bespoke house types are planned, including one bedroom bungalows, two, three, four and five bedroom homes, to ensure the needs of a wide range of buyers are met, including downsizers, first-time buyers and families with children.
The development is on the banks of the River Calder next to a listed viaduct and adjacent to a conservation area.
The homebuilder estimates that construction of the homes will support more than 400 jobs – with most being local sub-contractors and tradesmen.
Alongside the mix of new homes, DWH North West will contribute a total of £105,000 towards the improvement of local transport and highways.
These include works to King Street, the relocation of a pedestrian crossing and the implementation of a travel plan fund, which will include cycle stands in the village centre.
The purpose of a travel plan is to encourage behaviour change which will lead to the use of more sustainable modes of travel and reduce overall travel to and from the site.
DWH North West sales director, Steve Jackson, said that in addition to the local construction jobs underpinned in building the new homes, the people who move into the new homes will also spend their wages locally.
He said: “New homes generate additional income for local businesses, so the economic knock-on effects are far-reaching. This is a highly sought after area, in great demand by local people and newcomers to the area.
“The development has been thoughtfully designed, using enhanced materials and finishes to ensure it blends seamlessly with the surrounding architecture of the village.
“Even at this early stage, we are already seeing lots of early interest in the development, and the reaction to the wide variety of house types from local buyers is very positive.’’
DWH North West, which was named in 2016 as a five-star Homebuilder for a record seventh year in a row, is set to complete all the homes by 2020.
Show homes at Monk’s Cross are scheduled to launch in Spring 2017. Until then the marketing suite is being managed from the nearby Cromwell Heights development located in Longridge.
