Plans have been proposed to deliver 250 new properties on a Homes England site in Preston.

Contractor Willmott Dixon has formed a new joint venture with Trafford Housing Trust and L&Q to bring forward the proposal on D'Urton Lane in the Fulwood area.

The Laurus Partnership Homes LLP team aims to deliver a £47 million development consisting of a a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom homes and also including green space. Over half of the homes will be affordable housing, either for Shared Ownership or affordable rent, with the remaining homes available for outright sale.

Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North, said: "Trafford Housing Trust and Willmott Dixon recently delivered the Limelight development on Shrewsbury Street in Old Trafford and will be bringing this collaboration to Preston as partners in this LLP. For our community focused businesses, we'll deliver more than high quality new homes as the D'Urton Lane project is a great opportunity to achieve a wide range of community benefits. These include apprenticeships and work experience for local people of all ages as well as working closely with local schools and colleges to leave a lasting legacy.

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"As part of Laurus Partnership Homes we will work tirelessly in establishing a partnership with Homes England and its stakeholders to deliver a high-quality development which delivers aspirational new homes and achieves an accelerated pace of delivery."

The development also aims to provide a significant boost to Preston City Council's ambitious North West Preston Masterplan and will help to create a new vibrant community, targeting downsizers, and first-time buyers, including through Help to Buy.

Welcoming the plans, Duncan Inglis, Head of Accelerated Delivery at Homes England, commented: "Homes England is delighted to see a high quality contemporary proposal for this prestigious site, which will provide a scheme of 250 new homes, 127 of which will be affordable housing. Once on site our selected developer will embrace Modern Methods of Construction to help increase the speed of construction and build out. They will adopt a sub-assemblies and components approach, which includes building techniques such as the installation of pre-cast ground floors, first floor cassettes, and installing pre-formed wiring looms."

The joint venture partnership will purchase the land for development and begin construction in 2019, subject to planning approval.

Willmott Dixon will deliver the homes at an accelerated pace, which reflect a key element of the Government's 300,000 homes per annum target.

(CM/MH)