Whitfield & Brown starts on 50 Skelmersdale homes

Tawd Valley Developments’ £8m project for West Lancashire Council features a mixture of terraced and semi-detached houses, apartments and bungalows.

Main contractor Whitefield & Brown has put hoardings up around the site, which partially sits on a former playing field for the Fairlie Primary School, which closed in 2004. The first phase of work includes delivering an access road and installing groundworks and drainage infrastructure. Construction is set to take a year.

The 50 council homes were designed by John McCall Architects and will have dual-zone heating, double-glazing and EV charging points. ARP provided civil and structural advice for the scheme.

Planning permission for the project was approved in October. The project team included planning consultant Zerum, transport consultant Mosodi and ecological consultant Indigo.

TVD managing director Mark Kitts called the Skelmersdale project the company’s “largest and most challenging scheme to date”.

He continued: “Our focus is on delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes that suit the needs of different members of the community, which is why there is a mix of housing types in the development.  There’ll also be wider improvements as part of the development, including enhanced pavements and a new access road with additional residents’ parking.”

West Lancashire Council Leader Yvonne Gagen said the housing development was much-needed.

“The combination of types of housing available will bring together different generations in a way that will help to keep our communities strong,” she said.

“As the cost of living crisis bites, good quality council homes will be ever-more vital when it comes to the welfare of our communities.”