The former site of a church in Lowton is being redeveloped to provide 26 much-needed new homes. Elan Homes acquired the 1.78 acre site on Newton Road from the Archdiocese of Liverpool following full planning permission being granted. Groundworks are now complete and construction of the first homes is now underway at the development, which is to be marketed as “St Catherine’s Gardens”. Philip Palmer, Land Director for Elan Homes in the North, said: “Redeveloping previously developed sites is part of our land acquisition strategy. The Lowton site presented a perfect opportunity to provide new homes in an area where there is a pent up demand for housing. “St Catherine’s Parish Hall was demolished several years ago, with the church itself cleared from the site in 2018. By building new homes we’re bringing brownfield land back into good use and contributing to Wigan Council’s housing supply both for open market and affordable properties. While work here has only just started, we are keen to acquire similar brownfield sites across the North West suitable for building 20 to 150 homes.” At Lowton Elan will build 20 open market homes, including three and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached designs, ranging from 933 sq ft to 1497 sq ft. There will also be six affordable homes consisting of two-bedroom Audley and three-bedroom Howden types, which will be available through shared equity at 70% of the open market value. Elan will also make a £25,000 off-site contribution towards affordable housing locally and contribute almost £45,000 towards open space provision at Pennington Flash Country Park. “The development will predominantly be two storeys in height with some 2.5 storey homes. This is in keeping with the surrounding area and is a significant reduction from the height of the church that once stood on the site,” Philip added. “Our aim is to complement the character of the neighbourhood, adding visual interest.” Homes will be built using quality materials including grey concrete roofs with red ridge tiles and red multi brick with contrasting red engineering brick. Some homes will be finished with off-white rough cast render. All private plots with parking spaces/ drives will have electric vehicle charging points. Other sustainable features include bird boxes and bat bricks/ slates. Existing trees at the rear or the site will be retained, plus Elan will carry out additional tree planting on site. With easy access to both Liverpool and Manchester, homes at the development will appeal to commuters. Situated in the catchment area for schools in nearby Culcheth, where Elan has built previously, the properties are also sure to be popular with families. To explore land opportunities with the Elan team visit https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/about-elan/land-enquiries. To find out more about where Elan is building or to register interest in St Catherine’s Gardens see https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/developments.

THE homebuilder behind four successful Flintshire developments is keen to acquire additional land to satisfy demand. Flintshire Council’s Local Development Plan sets out a vision of delivering 7,000 new homes by 2030. Elan Homes has a proven track record and is well-placed to help deliver the target. In recent years, the company has delivered new homes across developments in Penyfford, Penymynydd and Argoed, with the final phase now on sale at Kinnerton Meadows, Higher Kinnerton. Philip Palmer, land director for Elan Homes in the North, explained: “We’ve provided more than 100 new homes across Flintshire in recent years, helping to deliver high quality housing the region needs. In order to maintain momentum in delivering housing it’s imperative that we continue to work with land owners and local authorities to tackle the housing shortage. “The developments we’ve progressed in Flintshire demonstrate our ability to take a flexible approach, adapting our plans to fit the local housing market. We look forward to speaking with landowners and their representatives to understand where we could unlock development potential and contribute to the council’s targets for delivering new homes.” Elan successfully redeveloped the site of a former service station on Main Road, Argoed, near Mold, to provide 24 new homes. Over at Kinnerton Meadows, 56 properties are being built – 45 private sale and 11 affordable homes. The scheme brings with it a package of investment in the local area for the benefit of the wider community including almost £185,000 for the remodelling of music teaching facilities at Castell Alun High School, plus almost £135,000 for improvements to teaching accommodation at Higher Kinnerton CP School. Elan will also contribute £40,000 towards improvements to neighbourhood play facilities on Park Avenue. “Elan is proud to be playing its part in delivering much-needed new homes across Flintshire,” Philip added. “Housing developments bring added value to communities. Along with providing new homes, they generate investment in facilities and offer employment.” Elan’s Northern business will consider development sites, with or without planning up to 10 hectares in size, with the strategic arm of the business seeking and working on much larger parcels of land, within the region and across the country. To explore land opportunities with the Elan team visit https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/about-elan/land-enquiries.