Site start for £25m housing scheme in Walton

  • Former Walton Hospital site, birthplace of Sir Paul McCartney, being replaced by mixed-use housing development
  • Mulbury is developing scheme on behalf of Riverside
  • New Aldi supermarket will create up to 50 jobs

Walton Hospital start on siteConstruction work on a £25m pound project to regenerate the former Walton Hospital site in Liverpool with a mixed-use housing scheme is underway.

The scheme, being developed by Mulbury, will create 125 new affordable homes for housing and regeneration organisation Riverside and 70 homes for private sale. An Aldi supermarket is also being built on part of the site.

Representatives from Mulbury and Riverside, were joined on-site by the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, to mark the official start of works by building contractor Harbur Construction.

Walton Hospital, situated off the A59 Rice Lane, was famous for being the place where former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney was born in 1942. The hospital was demolished in 2011 after services were transferred to Fazakerley. Mersey Care NHS Trust’s new Clock View Hospital, which opened in 2015, now occupies part of the site.

Andrew Booth, land and planning director at Mulbury, said: “Before we took on this scheme, the site had been lying vacant for some time and there were complex legal, planning and technical challenges to overcome before it could be redeveloped. The remediation of the site is progressing well given the challenging nature of the project. We’re now looking forward to seeing these new homes come out of the ground over the coming months and a new community taking shape.”

Mark Patchitt, Riverside’s Director of Development and Growth, said: “The average house in Merseyside costs more than six times the average salary, with prices set to rise further as demand far outstrips supply.

“We’re working in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency – which has provided funding for this development through its Affordable Homes Programme – to deliver the homes this country needs to end the housing crisis. This development will provide shared ownership for aspirational first-time buyers, alongside affordable rent for those for whom home ownership is out of reach.”

Jeanette Grady, Sales & New Business Manager at Riverside Home Ownership added: “Our shared ownership homes on the development will give home buyers a helping hand onto the property ladder and into a great new home. Home owners will be perfectly situated to enjoy a residential neighbourhood which has easy access to the city centre. We expect the development to be very popular.”

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, said: “This is a fantastic scheme which will create good quality homes and also see a new community created in this area. It is yet more evidence that we are delivering on our commitment to build 5,000 much needed new properties in the city, giving people with a range of budgets a wider choice of accommodation in the rented and private sectors.”

The scheme will create 125 homes for shared equity sale and affordable rent on behalf of Riverside, while a further 70 homes will be built by Mulbury for open market sale.

The Aldi supermarket will create up to 50 jobs and is expected to complete by summer 2016. The housing part of the scheme is due to be complete by the end of 2017.

JLL acted as planning consultants on the scheme, while Manchester and Cheshire-based law firm Primas Law provided legal advice to Mulbury on the acquisition and sale of the land. The housing part of the scheme was designed by Cheshire-based Eden Building Design.