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Preston City Council and Onward Homes strike deal for Horrocks Mill social housing

Posted on - 3rd March, 2024 - 7:00am | Author - | Posted in - Avenham, Business, Frenchwood, Housing, Preston City Centre, Preston News, Redevelopment
The Horrocks Mill site looking back towards Preston city centre Pic: Blog Preston
The Horrocks Mill site looking back towards Preston city centre Pic: Blog Preston

Social houses under direct Preston City Council ownership will be bought on the new Horrocks Mill development.

The city council has signed the first-stage of a deal with Onward Homes, with £60,000 allocated by councillors towards establishing the first steps towards social housing in the city.

As part of the deal then 20 homes on the Horrocks Mill development – which will see a total of 380 affordable homes built between Queen Street and Church Street – are to be bankrolled by the city council.

Read more: Opinion: 2024 marks a foundational year for Preston city centre’s redevelopment

Leader of Preston City Council, councillor Matthew Brown, hinted they had ambitions to deliver a ‘substantial number of new council homes’ in the years to come.

Cllr Brown said: “In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of affordable rented homes being built in the city. Despite more than 400 affordable homes being built across Preston in the last year – the highest in Lancashire and for many years – there still remains a need for more as there are
long waiting lists.

“Preston’s Labour Group has had a longstanding aspiration to deliver the first council-owned housing
in Preston in a generation. We are now actively exploring options, through direct investment, ownership and through a partnership approach, to assist in meeting local housing needs for good quality, affordable homes.

“In the longer term we hope to deliver a substantial number of new council homes, if resources allow, whilst continuing to support existing registered social providers. Seeking Council approval is an important step in achieving that ambition.”

A full meeting of Preston City Council on Thursday 29 February approved establishing the partnership between the council and Onward Homes.

Read more: Plans to demolish Avenham tower blocks lodged for Onward Homes development

Before 2005, with the establishment of Community Gateway Association, the city council oversaw and ran social housing directly – but after that date all social housing became through private or social-housing firms.

Onward currently manage around 1,000 social housing tenants in and around the Preston area.

Executive director of property at Onward, Sandy Livingstone, said: “Onward shares the Council’s vision to boost the number of quality, affordable homes in Preston. We have worked with the Council to develop our plans for the area to ensure these meet the needs of local people and align with wider ambitions for the city.

“This agreement cements our shared commitment to do more and will help to increase the number
of genuinely affordable homes in the area. As we embark on our transformative plans for Horrocks
Mill, we look forward to working with the Council to enable them to deliver the first council-owned
housing in a generation.”

No detail has been given on how much the 20 properties within the scheme will cost the city council, or the structure of the ownership deal. It’s understood any actual deal to purchase properties would need to go back to a full council meeting for approval.

Horrocks Mill
Horrocks Mill

Planning approval was given in November last year for the Horrocks Mill scheme, which is located on land running on a strip used as a car park and derelict land up until Cotton Court, and construction is due to start in 2025.

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