Major plans for a town hit by a criminal gas explosion nearly five years ago will include the building of more than 70 homes.
Detailed proposals for New Ferry’s regeneration are now being drawn up, with plans for 71 homes confirmed. The news comes nine days before the fifth anniversary of Pascal Blasio’s deliberate blowing-up of his own furniture store in March 2017, which injured 81 people and devastated the town.
M&Y Maintenance and Construction will build 71 new homes, including 20 one and two-bedroom apartments, and 31 two, three and four-bedroom houses which will be available for rent-to-buy through Liverpool-based property company Redwing. A further 14 one and two-bedroom apartments, plus six two-bedroom houses, will be built for affordable rent through social housing provider Regenda Homes.
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Regenda Group has been chosen as Wirral Council’s preferred development partner in New Ferry and will produce plans on multiple sites in the town over the next few years. As part of Regenda’s plans, it will employ five apprentices who will be directly employed to work on the site, with further traineeship opportunities and work experience placements available for 16–24 year-olds through The Learning Foundry.
Local schools will be invited to take part in site visits for children to learn about careers in construction. Some will also benefit from the ‘Raising Aspirations’ programme the group offers through Positive Footprints.
Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council's Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee, said: “People shouldn’t underestimate the significance of this announcement. The regeneration of New Ferry is – and has been since the gas explosion in March 2017 – a top priority for the council.
"However, it has been and remains a complex and long-term process due to the majority of the land and buildings earmarked within the Masterplan being in private ownership. It has taken investment and a lot of hard work to get us to the point where a large proportion of these sites are now owned by the council.
"We have been able to appoint the Regenda Group as our preferred developer with a great deal of confidence that, together, we will deliver the New Ferry Masterplan within the next couple of years. The group consists of multi-disciplined, specialist companies and will bring a strong community focus to the project.
The Labour councillor added: "It is committed to providing social value in this partnership as well as high-quality new buildings to New Ferry.”
Stephanie Harrison, from Regenda Homes, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to work alongside Wirral Council and the residents of New Ferry on this vitally important regeneration. Our proposed plans meet the critical demand for affordable rent and home ownership in the area and we look forward to sharing them with the public in due course.
"As a local company with a strong community focus, we have pledged to create opportunities for local schools, colleges and young people no longer in education or training throughout and hope to deliver many benefits to the wider community, who collectively have been through so much since the incident.”
The Regenda Group will submit its detailed plans to Wirral Council’s Planning Committee towards the end of summer this year.
