Property

Work begins on dozens of new ‘affordable’ homes in Salford as part of £2.5bn regeneration

A new chapter is underway.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 10th April 2024

Work is now underway on dozens of new ‘affordable’ homes in Salford as part of multi-billion pound regeneration scheme.

The exciting new development called Willohaus – which was granted planning permission by Salford City Council last summer – forms part of the wider £2.5 billion Crescent Salford regeneration, and is a partnership between Salford City Council, the University of Salford, and ECF (formerly The English Cities Fund).

100 “high-quality, sustainable, and affordable” one and two-bedroomed homes are set to be built on a disused carpark on Peru Street in the heart of Salford as part of the scheme.

The apartments have been designed to provide a “comfortable environment” for residents, as Passivhaus buildings can apparently reduce energy bills by up to 90%, when compared to traditional housing stock.

This essentially means residents can reduce their fuel bills, all while cutting carbon footprints too.

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The Willohaus site is situated in the historic civic district of Salford, which has been undergoing extensive regeneration in recent years.

It was once a key industrial area for the city, and back in the 1800s, the site was home to a public bath house.

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The construction of Willohaus follows the similar development of Passivhaus-standard homes, Greenhaus, situated nearby – which completed last month, and is made up of 96 affordable new homes in total.

Joe Stockton, who is the Senior Development Manager for ECF, said Willohaus will be an “upscale” on Greenhaus.

The Willohaus site is situated in the historic civic district of Salford / Credit: ECF North West

He explained: “Following our success delivering low-energy, Passivhaus-standard homes at nearby Greenhaus, we are now looking to upscale what has previously been done on a relatively small-scale, and make sustainable homes accessible and affordable for a wider range of customers.

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“We’re looking forward to working with our partners to create a vibrant and well-connected neighbourhood at Crescent Salford, starting with our Willohaus community.”

Willohaus will also be the first Passivhaus-certified development to benefit from funding through the new ‘trailblazer’ devolution protocols, which have seen Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) given greater powers and funding to enable more “truly affordable net-zero homes” via the UK Government’s Affordable Homes Programme.

Tom Stannard, who is the CEO of Salford City Council, added: “It is such great news to see works starting on another eco-friendly development in our city.

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“The incredible Passivhaus standards will see residents using much less energy and in turn paying much less for their energy bills.

“I’d like to thank all our partners for their hard work as we work to be a zero-carbon city by 2038.”

Featured Image – ECF North West (via Supplied)