Housing association Magenta Living is building 14 new modular homes in the upmarket Wirral suburb of West Kirby, eight of them for social rent, in a £3.9m scheme. Tony McDonough reports
Magenta Living has secured £640,000 from Government agency Homes England towards a £3.9m modular housing development in West Kirby in Wirral.
Of the 14 homes eight will be available for social rent and six will be for private rental. Social rents are typically no more than 50% or 60% of local market rates. Homes classed as ‘affordable’ can be up to 80% of local market rate.
Housing Association Magenta has tasked Wirral-based Starship to build the development, known as Sandbank Point. It specialises in modular homes using what is called modern methods of construction (MMC).
This means the external walls and roof of each building are constructed in Starship’s factory in Wirral Waters and then installed on-site as opposed to the traditional method of building entirely on-site. All the homes will have a net zero energy rating.
Homes England is supporting the development from the Government’s new Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), making it the first project nationally to draw down the grant funding.
Sandbank Point will offer a mix of two- and three-bedroom properties. It is being developed on the site that formerly housed Ashton Court sheltered accommodation.
Andy Lomas, chief executive of Magenta, said: “Sandbank Point marks an exciting new chapter for Magenta Living in West Kirby. We’re proud to work with Starship on a development that reflects our commitment to building sustainable, future-ready homes.
“We are delighted to receive support from Homes England under their new affordable housing funding programme, whilst at the same time supporting the city region’s commitment to affordable housing.”
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The Social and Affordable Homes Programme is the Government’s 10-year £39bninitiative to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country.
Starship director Chris Dodd added: “We’re delighted to partner with Magenta Living on Sandbank Point, delivering homes that set a new standard for energy efficiency in West Kirby.
Construction on Sandbank Point has begun with site clearance and groundworks, with completion expected by March 2027.