Ground broken on pair of affordable housing developments in Wigan Borough

Ground broken on pair of affordable housing developments in Wigan Borough

Councillor Susan Gambles at the development site on Priory Road, with representatives of Wigan Council and Wiggett Construction

Spades have hit the ground on a pair of Wigan Council backed affordable and environmentally friendly housing sites.

Works are underway at the former St Mary’s School site in Ince for 47 homes along with the development of six bungalows at Priory Road in Bryn.

Both projects are designed to make the most of low-carbon technology to help keep bills down and will be available for affordable rent.

Councillor Susan Gambles, cabinet portfolio member for housing, said: “We are addressing the shortage of quality, affordable homes in our borough and both of these developments are important sites.

“At both developments, residents will benefit from having energy-efficient homes, setting the bar for future environmentally friendly homes in our borough.

“In Ince, it’s a great opportunity to bring this site back into use with a £7.65m investment from Wigan Council, along with £2.35m support from Homes England.

“The bungalows in Bryn will help us tackle the shortage of adaptable homes for residents with additional needs.”

At the St Mary’s site, the Derby Street school closed in 2004 and the buildings were demolished in 2015. Works are scheduled to be complete late next year.

The homes will feature innovative low carbon technologies and will be built to such high insulation standards that mean they will need little or no heating. They will also feature solar panels to offset the use of electricity.

Jeremy Whittle, managing director for the St Mary’s project’s contractors, Tyson Construction, said: “This development will deliver an appealing mix of homes for local people with a mix of homes being constructed including bungalows, family houses and a number of cottage style apartments. 

“We are also proud to be engaging with the local supply chain in Wigan borough, supporting local people and local businesses.”

In Bryn, the bungalow development is scheduled to be complete in early 2024 and has also been supported by Homes England grant funding.

Four two-bedroom bungalows are being built, fully adapted for wheelchair users and two one-bedroom bungalows which will be adaptable.

Mark Sexton, development director at Wiggett Construction Ltd, the firm delivering the Priory Road project, said: “We hope that project will be the first of many and that we are able to provide opportunities for local people, subcontractors and suppliers.”

A spokesperson for Homes England, said: “Despite the current challenges affecting the country, accelerating housebuilding remains our number one priority.

“We are committed to supporting Wigan Council with their ambitions to build new homes and our investment through affordable housing grant allows us to do that.”