North West residential schemes get HCA funding
Stalled residential schemes across the North West have been granted funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.
Northern Group Developments' Ice Plant Ancoats in Manchester will get £1,761,000, while a scheme by Morris Homes, Tower Wharf located a mile north east of Chester city centre on the side of the Shropshire Union Canal, will get £2,457,500 towards it.
In Manchester, the funding will unlock 82 market rent apartments in Blossom Street to address the emerging demand for high quality rented accommodation in the growing regional centre. The Ice Plant project sits within Ancoats Urban Village.
The grants are part of the HCA's £450m worth of funding for 153 stalled residential schemes across the country.
In Chester, the investment will unlock 86 homes for market sale, HomeBuy Direct and social rent, and Morris Homes have indicated its intention to provide an apprentice scheme on site.
The Government's Homes and Communities Agency has approved the schemes to receive funding after assessing 270 projects under the Kickstart programme.
A total of 91 schemes, covering 6,618 homes, have been approved for £207m funding.
The HCA has also approved a further 63 schemes, totalling 5,144 homes, subject to conditions being met or further consideration. A further £214m is available for those schemes.
A total of 81 were withdrawn, out of the 270 projects, because of the need to complete homes by March 2011. Some were withdrawn because the developer no longer felt the need for public sector support.
A total of 35 schemes did not receive funds because they did not meet the HCA funding criteria.
The HCA also said it has received 660 bids for funding under the next round of the Kickstart programme, which is now underway.
The raft of funding has been spread across the North West including residential schemes in Greater Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Wirral and Cumbria.
Residential schemes benefitting from the HCA funding in Greater Manchester includes:
- Advent Phase 5, Ancoats Urban Village, 108 homes, £4.9m, Artisan Ship Canal Developments
- Victory Works, Heywood, Oldham, 53 homes, £3.4m, Countryside Properties
- Windermere Park, Middleton, Rochdale, 50 homes, £1.5m, Lovell Partnerships
- Spinning Vale, Western Street, Gorton, New East Manchester, 62 homes, £1.2m, Countryside Properties
- Unity Mill, Rochdale, 50 homes, £541,350, Countryside Properties
- New Broughton, Salford, 169 homes, £7.3m, Countryside Properties
- New Broughton, Site U, Salford, 50 homes, £658,000, Countryside Properties
Residential schemes benefitting from the HCA funding in Warrington includes:
- Chapelford, Phase 10, 50 homes; £466,350, Barratt Developments
- Urban Space 50, 78 homes, £1.8m, Miller Homes
- Edgewater Park IS, 108 homes, £5.2m, Morris Homes
Residential schemes benefitting from the HCA funding in Liverpool includes:
- 3 Cressington Grange, 60 homes, £380 664, Bellway
- Williamson Place, 85 homes, £1.7m, Bellway
- Gilead redevelopment, 58 homes, £2.6m, Lovell Partnerships
Residential schemes benefitting from the HCA funding in Cumbria and Wirral includes:
- 1 Netherby Gardens, Carlisle, 42 homes, £1.4m, Briery Homes
- Tranmere, Site E, Wirral, 56 homes, £1,078,123, Lovell Partnerships
Lowry Homes has also received a £9.4m grant for its Maine Place development on the site of the former Maine Road football stadium in Moss Side. The award is the largest issued so far in the North West under the initiative.
New East Manchester and Manchester City Council have welcomed news that three east Manchester housing schemes have received a boost, following Housing Minister John Healey's announcement today.
Cllr Paul Andrews, executive member for Neighbourhood Services at Manchester City Council, said: "These schemes are all important for the city's regeneration priorities and I'm extremely pleased that these awards will now allow them to be delivered. A lot of hard work has gone into these applications and I'd like to congratulate everyone involved."
Eddie Smith, chief executive for New East Manchester, said: "This is great news, not only for the developers, but for east Manchester and will help keep our regeneration plans on track. One of our key priorities is to build new homes in the area, attracting new people to move here, so this funding is very welcome and will help us achieve our goal."
Deborah McLaughlin, North West regional director of the HCA, said: "I'm delighted that we are able to announce the award of this additional funding to bring developments in East Manchester back on track. We have worked very closely with our partners to make sure that the schemes we are announcing today deliver high quality, new homes quickly and in a way that makes a real difference to local communities."
