Onward signs agreement to build 450 homes

Onward, the Manchester-based housing association, has agreed a deal with a developer to build nearly 450 homes on a site in Crewe.

The housing association has awarded the £66m contract to design and build 447 homes to Warrington-headquartered Lane End Developments, which previously owned the land where the homes will be built and sold it to Onward.

The project on the 30-acre site at Basford East, Crewe, will also include associated infrastructure, roads, pedestrian walkways, public open spaces and play areas.

The tenure mix for the scheme will see 323 homes go for outright sale, 56 via affordable rent or shared ownership and the remaining 68 going through Section 106.

Work is expected to start on the site later this year, subject to planning being approved, and take up to seven years to complete.

In an OJEU notice Onward said the terms of its purchase of the land from Lane End required it to appoint the developer to design and build the homes.

Due to Lane End’s ownership of the site and its right to negotiate terms of the sale the building contract could only be awarded to the company, Onward said.

“No reasonable alternative exists because Lane End would not have been willing to sell the development site to [Onward] unless the aforementioned condition was included in the terms of the sale agreement,” Onward added.

Onward owns and manages more than 35,000 homes across the North-west of England. It was formerly known as Symphony Housing Group, which comprised six smaller housing association subsidiaries. 

Lane End is currently working on building nearly 2,500 homes across 14 live schemes, also in the North-west.