Construction work has started on Livv Homes’ £6.1m affordable housing scheme in Whiston, Merseyside. Part of the Lickers Lane regeneration project, the Berrywood development will create 26 new homes for Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy.
Berrywood will comprise a mixture of two- and three-bedroom properties. Seven homes will be available for Shared Ownership and the remaining 19 will be available for Rent to Buy. A new road will also be built to enable improved access to the development.
Livv has secured funding from Liverpool City Region’s Brownfield Land Fund and government funding via Homes England to deliver the scheme. The project is being delivered by Tyson Construction.
Howard Roberts, Executive Director – Finance, Risk and Performance at Livv Housing Group, said: “The overall aim of the Lickers Lane regeneration project is to transform the neighbourhood from an area that was prone to anti-social behaviour to a thriving place where people want to live.
“The first phase, completed back in 2019, involved the demolition of over 100 low-rise flats and created 28 new homes. The finalisation of the project will make a real difference to the community.
“The scheme will be the first we’ve delivered with the help of the Brownfield Land Funding and we’re looking forward to building our relationship with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
“At Livv, we look to provide opportunities for everyone and the properties at Berrywood will give prospective homeowners different options to help them get on the property ladder.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, commented: “I want everyone in our area to have the chance to realise their home ownership ambitions — to get their foot on the property ladder and invest in their future.
“But for too long, achieving that dream has been out of reach for many of our residents who are forced to contend with a broken housing market, that simply doesn’t work for them. Thanks to devolution, we are working to try and tackle those supply issues by investing £60m to open up a pipeline of 4,000 homes across our six boroughs by ensuring that there are more suitable sites for development like Berrywood.
“We are specifically targeting brownfield sites to help protect our precious green spaces from over development — turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities.”
Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “We welcome the addition of new quality affordable homes in the borough. It’ll help meet the demand in the local area and provide a wider choice for new and existing residents to buy their properties through both the Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership models, both of which very much align with the priorities within the Council’s Housing Strategy.”
Jeremy Whittle, Managing Director at Tyson Construction, added: “Having recently completed a housing development for Livv in St Helens, we’re delighted to be given the opportunity to work with them again on this project. Work has started on site and we’re looking forward to delivering the much-need new homes for the local area.”
The new homes are expected to be completed by November 2024.
Header Photo: Livv’s development team with Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council and Portfolio Holder: Housing and Spatial Framework, Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, and the team at Tyson Construction.
