Bridge View, Runcorn welcomes Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram
Affordable housing providers Magenta Living and Onward recently welcomed Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, to Bridge View, Runcorn for a tour of the development as it nears completion.
Bridge View has been developed in partnership with both housing providers and offers a total of 119 homes for both affordable rent and shared ownership, including two, three and four bed-room homes. Magenta Living is offering 71 homes, with 26 homes having already been handed over to new customers, with the further 45 homes due to be completed by July 2023.
Onward is offering 48 homes, with 20 homes already handed over with another 28 homes also due to be completed by July 2023. Positively, upon release, all shared ownership homes have been reserved almost immediately and the affordable rent homes have seen plenty of demand through the local Council’s Property Pool Plus service. The development is being overseen by Anwyl Construction.
As well as Homes England funding, Bridge View received £1.8 million from Mayor Rotheram’s £60 million Brownfield Land Fund to support its delivery, making it one of 17 projects across the region to benefit from this funding, with more than 20 schemes in the pipeline. The fund targets previously developed land suitable for building much needed new homes and has been used for site remediation and other measures required to make sites ready for development.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said: “Being a member of the Liverpool City Region means that Halton can benefit from region-wide investments that might previously have been out of reach, like my Brownfield Land Fund.
“New homes are an investment in all our futures and give families the opportunity to realise their home ownership ambitions. By specifically targeting brownfield sites, we are turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities – and helping to protect more of our precious green spaces. We are already making great progress to reinvigorate parts of our communities with new quality, affordable housing and Bridge View will be another big step towards achieving that ambition.”
Ian Thomson, Magenta Living’s Executive Director of Assets and Development said: “Bridge View is a great example of partnership working with Onward. This development is key to investing in a popular area and providing much needed new homes. I’m pleased that the funding we received as part of the Liverpool City Region Brownfield Land Fund has supported this development and turned what was once an industrial piece of land into homes with green spaces and an amazing view over the Mersey Gateway.
“I’m delighted Mayor Rotheram was able to visit Bridge View to see first-hand what can be achieved and how the great work that Magenta Living is doing along with partners, really does make an impact in communities.”
Sandy Livingstone, Executive Director for Property at Onward, said: “Collaborating with Magenta on this project has demonstrated the enormous value of working in partnership to make a positive difference in our communities. The Bridge View development is helping local people put down roots in the area through affordable rent properties and homes for those looking to get onto the property ladder.
“It has been really encouraging to see the success of the scheme to date, which reflects the demand for homes in this location. Securing the funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority helped us to unlock the potential of the site, transforming this disused brownfield land into a place that people can call home.”
One happy customer who has already moved into a shared ownership home at Bridge View said: “For us, going down the shared ownership route meant we could get onto the property ladder a lot easier and quicker than we initially thought. Without the scheme, we would still be living with family and struggling to get onto the property ladder. I would highly recommend shared ownership to anyone, it was worth the wait for us. Shared ownership allowed us to start living our independent life together and we’re over the moon with our new home, it’s beautiful. We can’t wait to make our memories here.”
Overlooking the Mersey Gateway, Bridge View is in a highly sought-after area of Runcorn, with a wide range of local amenities close by and it’s ideally located for commuters with excellent links to the M56 and the M62.