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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Work has begun on dozens of new ‘affordable’ homes in Salford / Credit: ECF North West
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.
“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)
Property
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester named ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home
Emily Sergeant
Two towns that are around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home.
It’s all according to the latest analysis by consumer watchdog Which?, and Lloyds bank.
Getting onto the property ladder remains a struggle for many first time buyers, especially following increases to mortgage rates since the start of spring – but where you buy can make a huge difference, according to Which?, and now new research from Lloyds has revealed the cheapest areas to buy your first home.
Some of the locations on the list are even averaging less than half the price of homes in London, proving the North West is where you want to be to get your foot on the property ladder.
According to research from Lloyds Bank, the most affordable place for first time buyers in the UK is East Ayrshire in Scotland.
But when it comes to the North West, Blackpool is not only the most affordable area in region – ranking at number three on the list – but it’s also the cheapest in the whole of England too, beating Kingston upon Hull by just a few hundred pounds.
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
The average first time buyer price in Blackpool is £150,780, according to the research.
Following Blackpool, ranking at sixth place on the list, is Hyndburn in Lancashire – which is actually a local Government district with borough status, that encompasses towns like Accrington and Great Harwood – with an average first time buyer price of £155,911.
Along with the most affordable areas for first time buyers, Lloyds has also calculated the areas with the youngest first time buyers too – and the North West also takes that title,
In the UK as a whole, the average age of a first time buyer is now 32, however buyers in some parts of the country are getting onto the property ladder much earlier than others, particularly in more affordable areas outside major cities.
The area with the youngest first time buyers is the Ribble Valley, according to Lloyds.
The largest town in this Lancashire district is Clitheroe, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and in less than 40 minutes by car, you can get to Preston, Blackburn, and Burnley, so it’s a pretty well-connected place for also being so affordable.
Featured Image – Stuart Wilding (Geograph)
Property
Four North West towns named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 ‘property hotspots’ by the sea for 2026.
You may already be familiar that, every year, leading property listing website Rightmove takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where house prices saw a significant hike on average last year, and puts together a top 10 list.
The ‘hotspot’ table is made up of a variety of locations where prices rose the most, when compared to the end of the year prior.
But now, they’ve done a special seaside version too.
Of course, “Manchester‘s got everything except a beach” so it won’t come as a surprise that no Greater Manchester towns are featured on this list, but that isn’t the case for the rest of the North West though, as Merseyside and Cumbria are well represented.
In fact, it’s actually the North West that’s taken the top spot, as Bootle in Merseyside has been named Britain’s top seaside house price hotspot, with asking prices having risen 11% in the past year alone, and that’s even with an average house price still way below the national average at £141,680.
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026 / Credit: James Feaver | Gabe Fender (via Unsplash)
Second place can be found just 10 minutes further up the coast in the town of Crosby, where the average asking prices are up 9% compared to last year, reaching £330,900.
Wallasey comes in at sixth place on the list, with house prices rising 7% to £200,753 on average, while Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria ranks at number nine with house prices increasing 6% to an average of £185,169.
Rightmove says the data shows that coastal living remains ‘relatively accessible’ in several areas, with nine of the top 10 fastest growing seaside locations still priced below the national average, and across more than 100 coastal areas analysed, more than 80% also have an average asking price below the national average (£378,304).
“The fastest-growing seaside markets this year show that demand for coastal homes in many areas remains resilient, even as overall price growth across the UK stays more modest,” commented Colleen Babcock, who is Rightmove’s property expert.
“While some locations are seeing strong price increases, there are still many areas where living by the sea is more affordable, giving buyers a wider range of options depending on their budget.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th April 2024 
