A new Rent to Buy apartments scheme built on the site of a devastating gas explosion in Wirral is already fully let weeks before it is due to complete. Tony McDonough reports
Every apartment in a new 20-home development built on the site of the New Ferry gas explosion in Wirral has now been snapped up weeks before it is due for completion.
Working on behalf of Regenda Group and Wirral Council, property agency Redwing has secured tenants for all 20 of the apartments at Sorrel Place, just yards from the picturesque Port Sunlight Village.
These 13 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom apartments are all Rent to Buy homes. Residents pay rent at a 20% reduced rate, helping them save to buy a home in the future. Prices start from £580 per calendar month (including 20% reduction).
Sorrel Place, which is due for completion in November, forms part of the first phase of a project to build 70 new homes in New Ferry. In August LBN revealed tenants had already moved into 14 new homes nearby on affordable rent tenancies.
Construction arm of Regenda, M&Y Maintenance and Construction, is the main contractor on phase one while the Alan Johnston Partnership is providing structural and civil engineering services on the project.
Jessica Turner, head of sales, lettings and growth at Redwing, a division of Regenda, said: “We’re so pleased that all homes at Sorrel Place were reserved off-plan – and in less than two weeks.
“We had a huge waiting list thanks to months of engagement with the local community, so we knew there was real excitement around this development.”
On a Saturday evening in March 2017, a huge gas explosion ripped through the district. It destroyed buildings, including Griffiths the Butcher and Chinese restaurant Lan’s House, and injured more than 80 people.
The blast could be heard several miles away and it was a miracle no one was killed. In October 2019, furniture shop owner Pascal Blasio was jailed for 20 years for causing the blast in a botched attempt to claim £50,000 insurance.
Cllr Mark Skillicorn, chair of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee, added: “Our partnership with The Regenda Group in New Ferry is a cornerstone of revitalising the area.
“This will be complemented by improvements to roads and public spaces over the coming months. As the new residents move in this autumn, it’s a real milestone for the continued investment in the local community.”