New homes set for Moss Nook through £2m investment

Article date: 31st October 2022

The funding supports the third phase of a project which will eventually see 900 homes on the 94-acre site which has already undergone works to allow developers to turn the brownfield site into new homes for St Helens Borough residents.

A total of £1,954,000 from the Combined Authority will be used to support the remediation and infrastructure work necessary for development of 112 properties for sale, 50 affordable homes and 100 for rent.

The funding has been awarded to Harworth Estates Investments Ltd, experts in preparing complex, "brownfield" sites for onward sale for construction by housing developers.

This follows an initial £2m awarded to the company in 2020, which prepared the ground for the first 240 homes at Moss Nook.

Councillor David Baines, Leader of St Helens Council said: "This plot of land, which is located between Sutton, Parr and Bold, was derelict for a number of years and had been plagued by anti-social behaviour. So it is great to see this site cleaned up and turned into a place for families to live.

"This latest funding will help make more of the site a suitable spot for development in the future and has the potential to unlock new housing and additional facilities in the area. We are committed to putting these eyesore brownfield sites back into use and funding like this is vital in helping us to make sure that can happen."

Matt Whiteley, Associate Development Director at Harworth, commented: "Within just a few years, Harworth has transformed a piece of derelict brownfield land into a thriving new community in St Helens, providing new infrastructure, amenities and green space for local people. We are grateful to St Helens Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for their continued support in helping us to deliver on our vision, and it is a privilege to be able to show them our progress on site today."

Councillor Jeanie Bell, Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities added: "The earlier phases of the project is delivering a welcoming space for families with things like playgrounds and green spaces already in place. The transformation of brownfield sites helps us to provide new homes for our residents while benefitting the wider community by removing the draws for anti-social behaviour that derelict sites can bring."

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "New homes are an investment in all our futures. They give families the opportunity to realise their home ownership ambitions; attract new funding into our towns and cities, and help us to retain the very best talent to fuel our economy.

"We know that our journey to building a strong, prosperous community starts at home, which is why we are helping thousands of families across the Liverpool City Region to invest in good quality, genuinely affordable, and accessible houses.

"By specifically targeting brownfield sites, we are helping to turn once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities - and help to protect more of our green spaces.

"We've already made great strides to achieve this ambition, having committed £20 million to build nearly 2000 new homes across the region, including these much-needed new properties at Moss Nook."

Councillor Graham Morgan, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Housing and Spatial Framework, said: "Moss Nook is a great example of our brownfield first policy in action, where our investment has enabled a formerly derelict site to be developed, creating hundreds of decent homes for local people.  We have work under way at sites across the city region and a further pipeline of projects ready to come on stream and we are well on our way to enabling the creation of thousands of new homes."