A flagship housing development exclusively for clinical staff in Salford has been honoured at a national awards ceremony.
Alexander Gardens in Broughton was Highly Commended in the Affordable Housing Scheme of the Year category in the prestigious 24 Housing Awards.
The project by housing association Salix Homes, has seen an empty sheltered housing complex completely remodelled and transformed to provide 26-apartments for doctors, nurses and other clinical staff who work at Salford Royal Hospital.
Salix Homes teamed up with Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust to provide affordable homes for its workers after it emerged the hospital was struggling to fill 200 vacancies, with the lack of affordable accommodation cited as one of the barriers to attracting people to the area.
Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes, said: “Our Alexander Gardens development is a fantastic success story for Salix Homes, providing much-needed affordable accommodation for doctors, nurses and clinical staff at our local hospital.
“We are incredibly proud of this project which demonstrates just what can be achieved when the health and housing industries work in partnership to improve the lives of people living and working in our communities.
“As a nation in the grips of a housing crisis, we are very proud to be leading the way in providing affordable accommodation for key workers, so to be recognised for our work in this area in such prestigious industry awards is a real honour.”
Alexander Gardens on Gorton Street has stood empty since the Boxing Day 2015 floods after the former residents were re-housed when their homes were damaged by the worst flooding to hit Salford in decades.
Salix Homes has spent more than £2million converting the building into modern one and two bedroom apartments, working alongside its partner contractor A Connolly Ltd.
The project was partially funded thanks to a £780,000 grant from Homes England Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme.
Salford Royal is letting the homes to new recruits in a bid to encourage more medical professionals to come to Salford to work, and reduce its reliance on agency staff.
The first residents are expected to move in over the coming weeks.
