Affordable housing provider Torus to invest £17.2m building 77 new affordable homes at a Merseyside site. Tony McDonough reports
Torus Developments is investing £17.2m in 77 new affordable homes at a site in Merseyside.
This new scheme will see the affordable housing provider build 23 shared ownership houses and 54 over 55s affordable rent apartments at Rutland Street in Cowley Hill, St Helens. It is part of a three-year programme to build 500 homes in the town.
With a focus on a lower carbon footprint, the project has secured £1.16m of funding from the Combined Authority’s Brownfield Land Fund. It will see the development of a site that has been vacant for more than 10 years.
Torus director of development and technical, Steve Alcock, said: “Rutland Street showcases our ongoing dedication to creating new affordable homes and employment opportunities in St Helens.
“It’s a fantastic scheme overlooking Victoria Park and everyone involved has worked collaboratively to reach this point.
“Torus is committed to improving the experience of our customers and neighbours in St Helens, creating a development that is fully embedded in its local community before keys are handed over to future residents.”
Construction outfit HMS, a subsidiary of Torus, will deliver the project which is due for completion in summer 2025.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram added: “We are specifically targeting brownfield sites to help protect our precious green spaces from overdevelopment – turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities.
“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.
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“Yet, for too long, achieving that dream has been out of reach for many of our residents who have been forced to contend with a broken housing market that simply doesn’t work for them.
“Thanks to devolution, we are working to put that right by investing £60m to open up a pipeline of 4,000 homes across our six boroughs by ensuring that there are suitable sites for development.”