Work begins on 100 new homes in Salford as part of a £2.5bn plan

Work has begun on 100 new affordable and sustainable apartments on Peru Street in Salford.

The development forms part of the £2.5bn, 252-acre Crescent Salford regeneration, which is being delivered by the regeneration company English Cities Fund (ECF), in partnership with Salford City Council and the University of Salford.

The one and two-bedroomed Passivhaus homes are being built on a disused car park on Peru Street, which is a ten-minute walk away from Salford Central Station.

The development is called Willohaus and is the second collection of sustainable, affordable apartments brought about by ECF since their latest development, Greenhaus.

Passivhaus buildings can reduce energy bills by up to 90 per cent compared to traditional housing stock. This is achieved through a whole-building approach to efficient, high-quality construction, which is independently tested and verified.

The housing association, Salix Homes, who owns 8,000 homes across Salford, will be working alongside ECF on this development.

The landlord secured grant funding from Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, alongside its own investment, with the new homes forming part of Salix Homes’ wider ambitions to deliver more affordable and sustainable accommodation across Salford.

Joe Stockton, Senior Development Manager for ECF, added: “We’re pleased to be continuing our partnership with Salix Homes, following our success delivering low-energy, Passivhaus-standard homes at nearby Greenhaus.

“What has previously been done on a relatively small-scale, we are now looking to upscale, making sustainable homes accessible and affordable for a wider range of customers.

“We’re looking forward to working with our partners to create a vibrant, well-connected neighbourhood at Crescent Salford, starting with our Willohaus community.”

The Willohaus site is situated in the heart of the historic civic district of Salford, which has been undergoing extensive regeneration in recent years. It was once a key industrial area for the city and back in the 1800s the site was home to a public bath house.

The development is also the first Passivhaus-certified development to benefit from funding through the new ‘trailblazer’ devolution protocols, which have seen Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) given greater powers and funding to enable more truly affordable net-zero homes.

The homes are being built by lead contractor Eric Wright Construction.