First glimpse of affordable new flats in boom town
HOMES COMPLEX IN THRIVING WYTHENSHAWE
THIS is the first look inside a show flat at Village 135 – one of 451 new homes being built across Wythenshawe in a £50m affordable housing boom.
The M.E.N. was given a sneak-peek of the £20m complex for over-55s, which is among 14 major mixed-housing projects under way in the town – creating 451 new, and mostly affordable, homes by March 2018.
That can be added to the 492 homes built across 30 projects in the past year – taking the total to 943.
The boom coincides with Wythenshawe’s reincarnation as the ‘new Didsbury’ after asking prices for the houses in the area shot up by nearly 60 per cent in four months.
But affordable housing is vital, which is why Wythenshawe Community Housing Group is working its magic thanks to a slew of grants.
When completed in November, Village 135 will include 66 apartments for affordable rent, 30 flats for shared ownership and 30 for outright sale.
As well as the 135 flats, there will be a bistro, salon and a 24-hour on site care team so residents can live independent lives in two-bedroom apartments.
Constructed from 840 tonnes of steel, and with a linking bridge across two sections, there will be a rooftop area, sensory gardens, sun rooms and full mobility and access.
It’s hoped the scheme, on the junction of Brownley Road and Hollyhedge Road, will also bring regeneration and jobs to the area.
Amanda Seals, senior extra care manager for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group said their goal was to help people over 55 to live independently.
She said: “Hopefully, this can become a home for life - this is not residential care - we want this to be a thriving community.”
Amanda added: “Wythenshawe desperately needs a project like this. People are living longer, they want to stay in Wythenshawe. This is our flagship and we want to be leaders in extra care.”
More than £5m of the investment was awarded to the housing group from the government’s Heath Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund.
Under the rest of the programme, there are 316 homes across 13 sites, all part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency. They are: £2.4m: 20 houses for affordable rent at Daine Avenue, Nesfield Road and Bidford Drive - September 2016.
£13m: 130 homes, houses and apartments for affordable rent, shared ownership and sale, at Greenbrow Road, Newall Green - November 2017.
£7.3m: 70 homes on Bramcote Avenue, a mixture of affordable rent and shared ownership - November 2017
The properties across the remaining eight schemes are being designed in detail and in planning process to be completed before March 2018.