Developer Miller Homes acquires 32-acre Liverpool city region site and unveils plans to build 307 new houses and apartments. Tony McDonough reports
Miller Homes is to build 307 new homes on a 32-acre site in St Helens.
Dial House Place, named after the nearby Dial House Wood, will include 307 houses and apartments, offering a mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom properties, around a third of which are set to be classed as ‘affordable’.
An affordable home is one where the rent or sale price is no more than 80% of the local market rate.
Proposals for the site, off Higher Lane and Rookery Lane, secured planning consent from St Helens Council in 2023. A section 106 agreement accompanied the planning permission.
Section 106 is where a developer makes a commitment to invest in the local community. In this case it will include contributions to local transport provision and NHS services worth more than £1m. There will also be local employment opportunities.
Miller expects to break ground on the scheme in June with the first homes forecast for completion in early 2025. It says “sustainability will be at the heart of Dial House Place”, with electric vehicle charging points for every home, heat pumps, solar panels and other energy efficiency measures.
John Hardy, land director at Miller Homes, said: “The borough of St Helens is growing and the demand for quality housing is greater than ever.
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“It is our ambition to support the sustainable growth of Rainford by providing a mixture of stylish modern homes in a variety of policy compliant sizes and designs.”
Miller Homes is well established in the Merseyside community, building new neighbourhoods in both Halewood and Prescot at Wilbury Park and Sonnet Gate respectively in the last few years.
The company has also supported a number of local schools, charities and community organisations through the Miller Homes Community Fund.