CASE STUDY Picton Road Wavertree, Liverpool mulbury.co.uk A development led by Mulbury Homes, a division of Mulbury 1
VALUE UNITS 12m 108 PARTNER STATUS On site Due to complete in 2016 Overview This development, on almost five acres of former industrial land, will see the creation of 72 houses and 36 apartments. It features a range of housing types including contemporary terraced houses that mimic the street pattern of the Victorian-era housing opposite the site, as well as large three-bedroom houses with large driveways and gardens and three large apartment buildings, each containing 12 onebedroom flats. The scheme has been designed to achieve high levels of environmental performance and to achieve Secured by Design status through a safe and well considered layout. 2
Moving quickly to make housing happen This was a development that once again showed that Mulbury is up for the challenge of developing difficult sites. This particular site had an interesting history as a railway siding, a Royal Mail rail distribution centre and even an indoor go-karting track, but it had stood derelict for many years. It was owned by an industrial investor and was designated as an employment site. However, being such a large site on a key gateway into Liverpool, where affordable housing need is incredibly high, there was huge political support for having the land re-designated for housing, especially as Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson had pledged to build 5,000 homes during his first term in office. Mulbury was able to use its knowledge of the affordable housing sector to strike a deal with Riverside, one of the largest housing associations and regeneration specialists in the region, and entered into an agreement with the landowner to purchase the site. 3
Overcoming planning and development issues There were a number of issues to deal with as part of the planning process and these required a great deal of negotiation with a range of stakeholders. Greg Mulligan, a director of Mulbury, said: Being an industrial site, there was a degree of contamination. It meant we required a robust materials management process as part of our remediation strategy, which is to keep as much of the hard standing and good soil on site as possible. There was a significant re-engineering of the site. Other technical issues that had to be dealt with included gas mitigation (effectively sealing the site to prevent any ground gases from entering the completed properties), realigning a right of way for Network Rail, upgrading drainage systems, and reducing noise pollution from the nearby West Coast Mainline through the use of specialised acoustic glazing.and well considered layout. 4
Meeting a range of housing needs Prior to work commencing on the new homes, this site had posed a significant health and safety risk, especially for local children attracted by the dilapidated industrial buildings and disused railway lines, added Greg. Being on a key gateway into Liverpool City Centre it was also a blot on the local landscape, but now it s being developed into modern, energy-efficient homes to help meet local need. The development will also provide more onebedroom properties to help housing tenants avoid the under-occupancy charge. All of the houses in the development have large rear gardens and ample parking, while each apartment building has its own designated amenity space and combined bin and bicycle storage. Being on a key gateway into Liverpool City Centre it was also a blot on the local landscape, but now it s being developed into modern, energy-efficient homes to help meet local need. 5
A client s view In the Riverside Neighbourhood strategy for the area, the Picton neighbourhood is identified as requiring concerted action to address housing failure. The development of 108 houses and flats on Picton Road will contribute to this strategy by developing new, modern accommodation that will improve local sustainability. The development offers an increased choice in terms of type, size, value and tenure of homes, accessible to existing and new residents, in one of the city s most deprived areas. Mulbury facilitated this redevelopment by securing the site purchase and working in partnership with Riverside to develop a scheme to meet the future housing needs of the area. Mulbury were very proactive in developing the scheme and securing planning for the site which previously had non-housing use. The Mulbury team always worked in a professional and collaborative manner both in the development of the site and the subsequent delivery of the scheme on site. Annette Dennett Project Manager, Development for Riverside mulbury.co.uk Picton Road, Wavertree, Liverpool 6
mulbury.co.uk 01925 748530 info@mulbury.co.uk Great Oak Farm Mag Lane Lymm Cheshire WA13 OTF 7