HMS breaks ground on £17m St Helens housing
Torus Developments is anticipating a summer 2025 completion for the development, which will deliver 77 affordable homes at Rutland Street in Cowley Hill.
HMS Construction has broken ground on the St Helens scheme to create three two-, 12 three-, and eight four-bedroom houses, along with 40 one- and 14 two-bedroom apartments for over 55s.
Each property provided by the John McCall Architects-designed project will be affordable, with houses to available for shared ownership and apartments for affordable rent.
John Barrow, construction director at HMS, said: “Rutland Street is the largest site HMS has undertaken in St Helens to date and I am looking forward to be leading the development of a scheme that will see a number of green solutions embedded into its design.”
The three-acre plot was previously occupied by a series of NHS buildings, which were demolished in 2018.
The £17.2m development has been part-funded by Homes England’s Strategic Partnership 2012-2026, along with £1.2m from Mayor Steve Rotheram’s Brownfield Land Fund, for the regeneration of the land that has lain vacant for more than 10 years.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “We are specifically targeting brownfield sites to help protect our precious green spaces from overdevelopment – turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities.”
Kate Collins, senior manager at Homes England, added: “As a Homes England Strategic Partner, Torus has committed to delivering new affordable homes via the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26.
“It’s fantastic to see works underway Rutland Street, which brings a neglected urban area back into use and represents a significant contribution to the programme.”
Anwyl Partnerships won consent for the development last year, advised by Hive Land & Planning.
Plans for Rutland Street form part of Torus’ three-year programme to build more than 500 homes in the borough. The developer mobilised its £7m development to deliver 40 affordable homes at Somerset Street in Parr last month.
Good news. Weird how it’s in the Leader’s patch but the much anticipated Torus’s plan to redevelop Carr Mill cafe haven’t come back to planning since 2019 when the local Cllrs objected to 150 affordable homes on an eye sore site that stood blighted for decades.
By DiddyBaines
Torus again. Must have a huge development program wish other HAs were as ambitious
By George
There has not been much effort made to protect Haydock Green Belt. It was Green Belt until the council decided to change its status.
By Haydock Resident
We need business not houses in St.helens we may as well be known as lego town
By Anonymous