An area in Salford is to benefit from a £650 million Government-backed regeneration plan after a decade of campaigning for investment by Salford City Council and local residents.
The scheme starts ollowing a huge campaign for change by the council, local politicians and the local community.
A 30-year new public/private partnership will bring the plans to life, which will see more than 1,600 new energy efficient homes built and more than 1,250 existing council-owned properties improved, including the area’s iconic tower blocks. The scheme is set to generate 500 jobs; create 24 new small and medium business enterprises; provide skills training for 3,200 local people and 2,000 work experience opportunities.
Alongside the new homes, more than ten hectares of new public space will be created, including allotments, walkways, cycle routes and a community farm.
Local people will be given assistance to buy new homes through a special Pendleton mortgage, while a local credit union will be established to provide affordable loans for home improvements.
Pendleton, a densely populated area of Salford just a mile from Salford Quays, has high health needs. More than 40 per cent of residents have no formal qualifications and just 41 per cent of working age residents are in employment. It is in the bottom one per cent of the UK for health deprivation.
The consortium, Pendleton Together, which is delivering the project, has started work on site. The consortium includes social landlord Together Housing Group and building and regeneration specialist Keepmoat. Pendleton Together will work in partnership with Salford City Council.
The launch of the scheme follows confirmation from the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that the scheme has got Government approval.
Ian Stewart, Salford City Mayor said: “This is great news for local people. It’s a tremendous relief that all our behind-the-scenes work to persuade the Government to give the go-ahead, has finally paid off. I would like to thank all the team involved for putting Pendleton’s interests first.
“A lot of work has been done in recent years to regenerate the local area and provide new opportunities for local people. Despite severe cuts to Salford, we’re doing good things in bad times.
“This scheme will help transform Pendleton, its homes and environment – it will bring real hope of a better future to local people.”
Deborah McLaughlin, Executive Director for the North West at the HCA, said: “This is an excellent example of getting development going despite the tough economic times. The Council, its partners and Government have worked extremely hard to agree a deal that offers value for money and is attractive to long-term investors. Everything is now in place to begin transforming the Pendleton area and give residents the housing and job opportunities they need to prosper and rebuild their community.”
The masterplan for Pendleton has been 10 years in the making, and local people have been closely involved in its creation. Work will be delivered in several phases over the next 11 years, with the first of the new homes expected to be ready by early next year. All of the refurbishment work to 1250 homes is expected to be completed by early 2017.
As part of the 30-year project, Pendleton Together will manage around homes in Pendleton on behalf of the council. Pendleton Together has also officially taken over the management.
Tom Miskell, chief executive of Together Housing, the lead organisation in the delivery consortium said: “We feel tremendously proud to be involved in this project. Pendleton has a long history of tough times and poor accommodation dating back to mid-nineteenth century. This scheme is about bricks and mortar, but it’s also about restoring a strong sense of community. It’s an opportunity to do right by this proud and resilient community.”
Dave Sheridan, chief executive of Keepmoat, the company that will be building the new homes and refurbishing existing properties said: “This regeneration programme will make a huge difference to people’s quality of life in Pendleton. As well as dramatically improving the area’s housing, we will be creating new community facilities, open spaces and safer, more attractive estates. In the process, we’ll be creating hundreds of local jobs and thousands of training opportunities where they are needed most.”