Breck continues housebuilding drive with plans for 139 homes

A £32m affordable housing development could be built on 8.9 acres off Elton Head Road in St Helens, should the council approve the scheme.

The Niemen Architects-designed neighbourhood would provide 139 residences across a range of affordable maisonettes, apartments, and houses.

Proposals submitted to the local authority by planner Mosaic Town Planning indicate a mix of 42 apartments, 81 houses, and 16 maisonettes.

A third would be affordable rent, a third social rent, and a third shared ownership.

Roughly 1.5 acres are to be reserved for public open space, which would include a play area, a pocket park, and wildflower areas.

Breck Homes hopes to begin on-site in mid-2026. Construction is expected to take three years to fully complete the scheme.

Parking would be provided for 210 cars, with most properties accommodating two vehicles in driveways.

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Andy Garnett, managing director at Breck Homes, said: “St Helens has a strong and growing need for quality housing, particularly affordable housing, and we believe there’s a real opportunity at Elton Head Road to use our expertise and develop a thriving new neighbourhood which will benefit the next generation.

“We have already concluded a formal pre-application process with St Helens Council as well as significant environmental and ecological assessments on the site and are hopeful that our application will be granted so we can start on-site next year.”

The application joins several other pending schemes from the housebuilder, which has plans for another 140 homes in Crewe and the £12m reset of a pet food factory in Fazakerley into 53 properties.

Breck Homes also acquired the Ravenhead Brickworks site in Upholland for a £75m scheme last month, which could host a further 300 houses.

The project team includes TBA Landscape Architecture, Ironside Farrar, SurveyEng, EnviroSolution, UES, Tree Solutions, and Prime Transport Planning.

Breck Homes’ application to St Helens Council can be viewed with the planning reference number P/2025/0434/FUL.