Oak Road, Partington, Manchester

The site extends to 4.8 acres and is wholly managed by Your Housing Group. The scheme offered a mix of 1 bedroom maisonettes and 2 and 3 bedroom homes for shared ownership and affordable rent. YHG have an extensive stockholding in Partington and this development has been the catalyst for a wider regeneration programme across the existing estate. The majority of the site compromised as a vacant field and ponds with mature trees along the boundaries. The exception being the southwestern site section which is a derelict area of land following the demolition of a pub in 2006.

MCI and YHG undertook a pre application to open early dialogue with Trafford Borough Council to get their input into the scheme design. This engagement cemented the local authorities support for the delivery 
of the scheme and the provision of much needed affordable housing in the borough and resulted in obtaining a successful and timely planning approval. 
The sites location is to the west of Warburton Lane in Partington (which is a town in Trafford MBC in the Greater Manchester conurbation). It was formerly the site of a primary school and a public house which were demolished several years ago. The site is surrounded by a housing estate which is also majority owned by YHG. There is a children’s’ Nursery and beyond that a small block of shops, which are accessed from Oak Road in the south west corner of the site.
The Town of Partington is ten miles (16 km) south-west of Manchester city centre. It lies on the southern 
bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, opposite Cadishead on the northern bank. According to Wikipedia, it currently has a population of 7,327. The original opportunity for this scheme was created through the working relationship between MCI and Your Housing Group (YHG). MCI submitted a tender bid and was eventually selected as preferred bidder based on a matrix of cost/quality against a number of other regional contracting companies.

he site consisted of 75 units 18 of which were maisonettes. Standard MCI house types with saw toothed 
roofs and elevation enhancements. Scheme is 100% pre-sold to landowner for 100% affordable housing. RP partner is solely responsible for sale on of shared ownership units. All dwellings have a minimum 85% NDSS 
As part of the initial design of the scheme, we researched the local affordable housing need to determine a suitable house type mix with multiple tenures in mind to accommodate the demand expected by our Registered Provider partner. 

Social Value
As part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes we have extensive experience in housing and an established network of partners, offering a specialist one-stop solution for affordable housing. As a group our social value goes beyond the bricks and mortar. To truly change communities and transform lives. 
An example of this is our  training hub in Scotswood, Newcastle that will support the training and development of the next generation of skilled housebuilders in the North East and beyond.

As part of the pre-application with the local planning authority, it was identified that design would be a fundamental consideration to any proposals. The Council requested enhanced elevational treatments which exceeded our standard product. We used our internal expertise in collaboration with YHG to adapt our standard house types to introduce new elevational treatments such as sawtooth roofs, recessed brick porches, enhanced specification of windows and external doors and the use of contrasting brickwork. We also engaged with Your Housing Group on the internal specification relative to the proposed tenure offering. 

Safer environment for the local community. 
Prior to development, the site included an area of land that had sat vacant since the early 2000’s following the demolition of a Primary School. This area of the site fronted an A road so our proposals reintroduced this as an active frontage to the thoroughfare.  The other proportion of the site was of low quality open space which was underutilised by local residents due to frequent anti-social behaviour. The redevelopment of this area not only provided much needed affordable housing but created a safer environment for the local community to interact with. The redevelopment of this site has kickstarted further discussions between Trafford Council and Your Housing Group on the future regeneration of existing stock in the area. 

Levelling up
Our RP partners typically manage developments in perpetuity, either in-house or through a management company, and where needed collect a service charge from residents to maintain any communal or open space across the development. Whilst Your Housing Group will manage the Oak Road scheme in perpetuity, MCI are keen to ensure that our partners are satisfied with the service we have provided, and the residents can thrive in their new home. We take a pragmatic approach to customer care and are always on hand to assist where we can beyond the contractual obligations of the development.

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