South Liverpool Homes (SLH) has welcomed the first residents to its new South Parade development in Speke, marking a major milestone in the delivery of affordable homes for local people.
The first households collected the keys to their new homes which are available through Rent to Buy, helping more people take an affordable step onto the property ladder.
The homes form part of phase one of the South Parade development, which will ultimately deliver 92 high-quality, affordable homes in the heart of Speke for social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership and Rent to Buy.
The development reflects SLH’s commitment to giving local people more housing choices, including affordable ways to rent, as well as affordable routes to buy a home of their own.
Rent to Buy offers customers the opportunity to rent a home at a reduced rate while saving towards a deposit, while shared ownership enables buyers to purchase a share of a home and pay rent on the remaining portion, making home ownership more affordable and accessible.
Adam Smith, Director of Development and Growth at South Liverpool Homes, said:
"Seeing the first residents move into their new homes at South Parade is a proud moment for everyone involved in the development. These homes provide people with the opportunity to put down roots and achieve their aspirations of home ownership in a way that is affordable and achievable.
“The wider development also includes social rent and affordable rent homes, creating a mixed and sustainable community while providing a range of affordable housing options for people at all stages of life."
"We're really looking forward to welcoming many more residents as the development progresses and seeing this new community continue to grow."
"With the cost of living the way it is now, buying a home just wasn't realistic for us yet. That's what made Rent to Buy such a good option for us. It gives us somewhere affordable to live now and the chance to work towards owning our own home in the future."
- Thomas & Bethan
In their own words
Chanel is one of the residents who moved into a home with her partner Sean through Rent to Buy, after living in Speke all her life. They are currently going through the adoption process and are excited to be creating a family home together.
"Moving into a house will make life so much easier for us. We’ll have more space, a garden and we’ll be closer to family."
"The house itself is beautiful too. I love everything about it. It’s fresh, modern, and bright, and because it’s a blank canvas, we can really make it our own."
Chanel is pleased she has chosen the Rent to Buy route to help get her foot on the property ladder. She said:
"The Rent to Buy process was really straightforward. We looked at both shared ownership and Rent to Buy, but Rent to Buy suited us better as it gives us the opportunity to save for a larger deposit in the future."
For Thomas and Bethan, moving into South Parade marks the start of an exciting new chapter. The couple had been living in a one-bedroom flat in Liverpool City Centre while trying to find a home in an area that worked for their jobs and future plans. With Thomas's family based in Speke, South Parade was the ideal opportunity to put down roots.
Thomas and Bethan said:
"With the cost of living the way it is now, buying a home just wasn't realistic for us yet. We've both made a good start in our careers and we're hopeful that will continue in the next few years, but at the moment we needed somewhere affordable that would give us the space we need. That's what made Rent to Buy such a good option for us. It gives us somewhere affordable to live now and the chance to work towards owning our own home in the future."
“Our one-bedroom flat limited our future plans. We felt that we couldn’t make big life decisions until we’d moved out, but now we can start thinking about the future.”
"Speke is a lovely area. There's so much around here, with shops, community facilities and the library all close by. If anything, it's more accessible for us here than where we were living before. We can't wait to make memories here."
South Parade will transform a key area of Speke, which was once a patchwork of vacant buildings and fenced-off sites, with little or no active use. It will deliver a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, bungalows and apartments alongside a new public open space for the community to enjoy.
Designed with sustainability in mind, all homes will be built to EPC A standard and include solar panels, highly efficient electric heating and electric vehicle charging points, helping residents reduce both their carbon footprint and energy costs.
As construction continues, additional homes will be completed and made available over the next few months, including homes for social and affordable rent.
For more information about the South Parade development and future home ownership opportunities, visit South Parade Development.