Cheshire Housing Consortium builds 1058 new homes

Wednesday 14th December 2011

Cheshire Housing Consortium has been launched and is spending £125.5 million on building 1,058 affordable homes in the North West over the next four years, through the Homes & Communities Agency's Affordable Rent Programme.

Investment from the Homes & Communities Agency's (HCA) Affordable Rent Programme contributed £20m to the total which will see 1,058 homes built for families across Merseyside, Cheshire and Warrington by March 2015. The allocation represents a major commitment from the HCA, as it accounts for more than 10 per cent of the grant for the North West.

Chester & District Housing Trust has merged with Cosmopolitan Housing Group in a £1.3 billion merger that has created a group of nearly 14,000 homes across Cheshire, Merseyside and the North West. This places the group among the 10 largest housing groups in the region.

The £20 million HCA investment will be distributed to the Cheshire Housing Consortium members:
• Cosmopolitan Housing Association: 533 homes
• Chester & District Housing Trust: 277 homes
• Wulvern Housing: 228 homes

The programme will be supported by partners, including Cheshire West & Chester Council, Cheshire East Council and Warrington Borough Council.

One of the first projects for the Consortium will be to develop four extra care schemes for older people in partnership with Cheshire West & Chester Council in Blacon, Kingsway and Great Sutton. This will provide 250 homes with onsite care and support for older people.

Chair of the Cheshire Housing Consortium and Chief Executive of Wulvern Housing, Sue Lock, said: "The Consortium will not only create over one thousand new homes but will support the economic regeneration of some of the most disadvantaged communities by recruiting and training local people and sustaining local businesses."

Chief Executive of the Cosmopolitan Housing Group John Denny, added: "The Cheshire Housing Consortium has been formed to enhance the new homes provision for the sub-region. The key aims of the Consortium are to create opportunities across Cheshire, Merseyside and Warrington and to stimulate economic growth. The Consortium has been established to kick-start development in the region, building energy efficient homes and creating economies of scale and efficiency through the shared procurement of new house building projects. We have strong partners in Cheshire West & Chester and Cheshire East Councils, who I have to say have been fully supportive of this initiative. These are exciting times."

Deborah McLaughlin, Executive Director North West at the HCA, said: "This agreement is excellent news as it will lead to the delivery of vitally important new affordable homes and make a great difference to the lives of many families across Cheshire and Merseyside.
"We have worked closely with members of the Cheshire Housing Consortium over recent months to make sure that the programme brings the maximum benefit for local people. In many ways, the hard work starts now - and we will be focused on ensuring that people in the North West see the benefits of our investment over the next four years."

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