New vision for '˜ugly' clearance site

An 'ugly' clearance site could soon be turned into a development of 62 homes, it has been announced.
Photo Neil Cross
The former Maltings site, Hill Road South, PenworthamPhoto Neil Cross
The former Maltings site, Hill Road South, Penwortham
Photo Neil Cross The former Maltings site, Hill Road South, Penwortham

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) bought The Maltings site off Hill Road South, Penwortham, earlier this year off social landlord Places 4 People.

Now it has issued leaflets to nearby residents, revealing plans it hopes to enter for a new housing estate.

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The outline proposals, set to be formally submitted within weeks, are for a mix of around 50 two and three bedroom houses and a three-storey apartment block, comprising of 12 two-bedroom apartments.

Fifty per cent of the new homes will be made available as Starter Homes under a new government initiative for first time buyers aged between 23 and 40, at a minimum discount of 20 per cent on the market value.

A HCA spokesman said: “The HCA has worked closely with the local council to ensure that the scheme cannot only meet the needs of local people, but we have also protected trees on the site and will provide additional green spaces for residents.”

The land has been fenced off since a block of 133 single person flats was bulldozed in 2013, having been deemed too expensive to repair.

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Councillor Keith Martin said he was keen for the “ugly” site to be developed, but raised concerns that it should be used to alleviate the shortage of one-bedroomed properties in the area, when people are being forced to pay for rooms they do not use under the government’s Bedroom Tax.

He has also called on new developers to invest money in the nearby Greencroft Valley, work with local action groups, and create a memorial on the new development to the late Maltings resident Joyce Reason, who was active in trying to save the site.

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