Nearly 3,000 new homes to be built on brownfield sites in Merseyside as part of £45 million scheme

Fourteen brownfield sites have been identified for nearly 3,000 new homes in the Liverpool City Region as part of the Metro Mayor’s plan to tackle the housing crisis.

At its meeting on Friday, the Combined Authority will be asked to approve the use of the remaining £36 million from its £45 million brownfield land fund to support the building schemes.

Since the £45 million funding was announced in July 2020, the Combined Authority has already invested £11 million in seven projects across the region, which will deliver 886 homes.

The latest round of funding is split between eight private sector-led projects, identified following an over-subscribed open call during the summer, expected to deliver around 1,400 homes, and six local authority-led projects, expected to deliver a further 1,200 homes.

What is a brownfield site?

In planning terms, any land that has been previously developed is classed as brownfield.

In the Liverpool City Region, much of this land is derelict and formerly industrial so must be cleaned up before it can be redeveloped.

The Combined Authority investment will be used for site remediation and other measures required to make sites ready for development.

In total, 700 brownfield sites have been identified across the six local authorities of the Liverpool City Region.

The updated brownfield register identifies 1,813 acres of brownfield sites which could provide space for more than 42,000 homes, if remediated.

Which brownfield sites due for development?

The eight private sector-led projects are:

Scott’s Quay, Wirral Waters - 482 proposed new homes to be built under developer Peel.

Moss Nook, St Helens - 230 proposed new homes to be built under developer Harworth.

Thatto Heath, St Helens - 167 proposed new homes to be built under developer Visitry Partnerships.

Grove Street, Liverpool - 161 proposed new homes to be built under developer Regenda Homes.

Johnsons Building, Sefton - 123 proposed new homes to be built under developer Sovini.

Palacefields, Runcorn, Halton - 118 proposed new homes to be built under developer Riverside Group.

Hawthorn Road, Bootle, Sefton - 91 proposed new homes to be built under developer Housing 21/Onward.

Sewell Street, Knowsley - 52 proposed new homes to be built under developer Livv Housing.

The six local authority projects are:

Land Registry Building, Rosebrae Court - Wirral Council - 335 proposed new homes to be built.

Foundry Lane - Halton Council - 274 proposed new homes to be built.

St Helens Town Centre transformation - St Helens Council - 227 proposed new homes to be built.

Prescot Shopping Centre - Knowsley Council - 150 proposed new homes to be built.

Benthams Way, Southport - Sefton Council - 149 proposed new homes to be built.

Bootle High School - Sefton Council - 63 proposed new homes to be built.

Reaction to the project

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: “For too many people across our region, the chance to own a home of their own remains out of reach.

“To tackle the housing crisis and help more people realise their home ownership ambitions, we need to take serious action to get more homes built across our region.

“When I was elected, I promised to prioritise brownfield sites for house building and have been working hard to make that a reality.

“Last year we spent £11 million to help deliver almost 900 homes on brownfield sites. We are now looking at another £36 million that should take the total to almost 4,000 new homes for people across our region.”

Cllr Graham Morgan, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority portfolio holder for housing and spatial framework, said: “We have ambitious plans to ensure that we tackle the housing shortage and deliver a great choice of high-quality homes, right across the city region.

“Building on brownfield sites will be vital to that process – after all there are around 800 of them with enough space to build 42,000 homes.”