Keepmoat delivers Skelmersdale council houses

Keepmoat has started building 42 council homes on Skelmersdale’s Firbeck estate for West Lancashire Council.

The properties will be available for affordable rent and will be made up of 14 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom flats, 12 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom houses.

They are being built on land left empty following demolition of unpopular three-storey flats. Some of the homes are likely to be ready for families to move into by spring 2016.

Cllr Jennifer Patterson, portfolio holder for housing at the council, said: “This is fantastic news for people looking to live in council or social housing. There is a real need for these homes in West Lancashire and I am delighted that building work has started on what I am sure will be a lovely development.”

Funding for the new homes was provided by the Department for Communities & Local Government.

Keepmoat is the principal contractor which will build the flats and houses to the Council’s specifications. These have been drawn up working with the builders and Arcus, who provided technical and architectural services on the project.

The new homes are part of the £8m Firbeck Revival scheme which forms part of the wider Skelmersdale town centre regeneration project. Existing Council-owned properties have already benefitted from new kitchens and bathrooms and external works have transformed the appearance of the estate. Houses have been fitted with new roofs, double-glazed uPVC windows and other improvements including external wall insulation and new canopies over the front doors. Fencing has also been replaced on many homes to complete the transformation and ensure security.

All private home owners on Firbeck took up a council grant, which is repayable when properties are sold, to have some or all of these improvements carried out to their homes.

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