Melwood resi gets chunk of £23m brownfield funding
Torus’ plan to redevelop Liverpool FC’s former training ground into 162 homes is one of 15 projects that will receive a share of the cash.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority signed off the £23m brownfield funding package last week. The money will be used for site remediation, aimed at supporting the delivery of more than 1,500 properties across the city region.
Torus’ Melwood scheme, which does not yet have planning consent, will receive a £2.4m cash boost and is one of several large schemes in line to benefit.
Read more about the proposed redevelopment of Melwood
Others include Barratt Developments’ 308 home scheme on Cherryfield Drive in Knowsley, which will receive £4.6m, the largest single award.
Backhouse Properties Group has been allocated £3.6m to support the redevelopment of the former Ibstock brickworks in St Helens into 242 homes.
Halton Housing’s Three Sails Point scheme in Widnes will receive £2.76m and Virtue Developments’ Telegraph House apartment scheme in Crosby will get just over £1m.
The sites have been identified as part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan to invest £60m to remediate land to build 4,000 homes.
“We are specifically targeting brownfield sites to help protect our precious green spaces from overdevelopment – turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities,” Rotheram said.
“I want everyone in our area to have the chance to realise their homeownership ambitions – to get their foot on the property ladder and invest in their future.
“Yet, for too long, achieving that dream has been out of reach for many of our residents who have been forced to contend with a broken housing market, that simply doesn’t work for them. Thanks to devolution, we are working to put that right by investing £60m into opening up a pipeline of 4,000 homes across our six boroughs by ensuring that there are suitable sites for development.”
In total, 700 brownfield sites have been identified across the six local authorities of the Liverpool City Region. The updated brownfield register identifies 1,813 acres of brownfield that could provide space for more than 42,000 homes.
The Melwood scheme looks like the only one on the list within the Liverpool city boundary which is a bit strange, how about the mayor funding some high-rise schemes in the city centre where there`s tons of brownfield and the opportunity to get more homes via mutli-storey builds.
By Anonymous
What was Melwood used for before it became LFC’s training ground?
Seems strange for sports pitches to qualify for brownfield land funding on the premise that it protects (other) green spaces from development.
By UnaPlanner
Is the Melwood scheme actually “brownfield”. Also “remediation” on a site that was used perfectly safely for football seems off.
By Fields of Brown
Melwood looks a quality scheme , fills a real gap in that part of the city the sports facilities and the supported living elements are a real bonus . Glad to see a decent scheme in liverpool for once .
By George
melwood is NOT a brownfield site, it is a sports ground, incase anybody overlooked that one, local residents do not want and have told Torus their homes are not wanted here in a consultation, they are obviously deaf to what local residents want.
By Anonymous