Harworth fleshes out third phase of Moss Nook
The developer wants to build a further 250 homes, a spine road with segregated pedestrian and cycle routes, public open spaces, and sports facilities as the next phase of its 95-acre housing scheme outside St Helens.
London Stock Exchange-listed Harworth Group this week drew down a £2m grant it clinched from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority earlier this year and plans to use the funding to remediate and prepare the next site earmarked for redevelopment at Moss Nook.
The 250-odd homes proposed as the third phase of the project represent just one section of the giant scheme, which has outlined planning consent for 900 homes on a brownfield site off Watery Lane, two miles outside the centre of St Helens.
Yorkshire-headquartered Harworth acquired the 95-acre site in chunks from 2018 as its first acquisition in the North West. Previous landowner HJ Banks & Company had lodged outline plans for Moss Nook in 2003 and finally secured planning permission from St Helens Council in 2017.
Harworth then sold 16 acres of the land to Taylor Wimpey in December 2021 and the housebuilder is on site building 258 homes, which represent the first phase of Moss Nook, known as Anderton Green, which secured full planning in June 2021.
The second phase, which also has planning approval, will provide four Sports England-standard footfall pitches and modern changing facilities.
Harworth had previously secured £2m from the LCR combined authority in December 2020 to help fund infrastructure works to progress the first phase, which was expanded from 240 homes.
A year later, the developer clinched another £2m (£1.95m) from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for Moss Nook. Both grants came from the authority’s £45m Brownfield Land Fund allocation from central Government.
A spokesperson for Harworth told Place North West that the developer is now readying plans for the third phase and intends to use the latest funding to remediate and prepare the land for another sale to a housebuilder to progress delivery. Negotiations with interested parties are ongoing but no deal has been reached yet, they said.
The exact number of homes in the third phase is still to be confirmed, but Harworth expects “around 260 homes, including 100 build-to-rent houses and more than 50 affordable properties.
“The site will include a new spine road with segregated pedestrian and cycle routes, providing a more direct connection to the town centre, in addition to new landscaping, public open spaces, and sports facilities.”
Phase three sits to the west of Taylor Wimpey’s plot. Remediation has begun and construction of the new homes is likely to start next year, subject to planning consent and a sale to a housebuilder, Harworth said.
MPSL was the architect for the first phase. Turley is Harworth’s planning consultant and Eddisons is the highways consultant.
Matt Whiteley, associate development director at Harworth, said: “Within just a few years, we have transformed a piece of derelict brownfield land into a thriving community in St Helens, providing new infrastructure, amenities and green space for local people.
“We are grateful to St Helens Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for their continued support in helping us to deliver on our vision.” Harworth showed authority representatives, including Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram, the site, this week.
“New homes are an investment in all our futures,” Rotheram said. “They give families the opportunity to realise their home ownership ambitions, attract funding into our towns and cities, and help us to retain the very best talent to fuel our economy…
“By specifically targeting brownfield sites, we are helping to turn once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities – and help to protect more of our green spaces. We’ve already made great strides to achieve this ambition, having committed £20m [through the Brownfield Fund] to build nearly 2,000 new homes across the region, including these much-needed new properties at Moss Nook.”
