Onward, in partnership with Equans, is progressing with plans to retrofit 132 properties in Murdishaw, Runcorn.
Onward secured £1.3million Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s bid for over £11 million from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), set up to help decarbonise the UK’s social housing stock to tackle fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissions and increase the energy efficiency of homes.
Onward owns and manages 35,000 homes across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Liverpool City Region, including over 500 homes in the Murdishaw neighbourhood in Runcorn. Many of the bungalows in Murdishaw have been identified as requiring improvements to enhance energy efficiency. The funding will be used to retrofit 132 bungalows in the area, creating more sustainable, greener and energy efficient homes for residents.
Onward plans to use this funding to install energy efficient glazed windows and doors heightened external wall and roof insulation. This will make properties warmer and more comfortable for residents. The investment is another important milestone in Onward’s programme of regeneration for Murdishaw. Onward is currently working with residents and partners on a community-led approach to community renewal, with proposals to deliver quality home improvements, improved green space and new facilities.
Bronwen Rapley, Chief Executive at Onward, said:
“The award of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is an important milestone that will increase our capacity to deliver improvements to make our properties more sustainable and energy efficient, whilst also supporting our wider regeneration objectives. Onward is working with local partners and the community on a wider regeneration programme for Murdishaw. Our retrofit programme is another critical step in this journey and presents a real opportunity to provide quality, sustainable homes for residents.
A number of properties on the estate require improvements to enhance energy efficiency. These proposals will address these challenges and result in warmer, comfortable homes. We are committed to providing sustainable homes for all our customers and this project will set a blueprint for how we achieve this. We are keen to work collaboratively with our customers, elected members and partners throughout this process.”
James Hill, Property Strategy Director at Onward, said:
“Onward has been working with local partners and residents on a community-led regeneration in Murdishaw, which sets out a vision to regenerate the area. As part of this process, we identified that the bungalows on the estate required improvements to enhance their overall energy efficiency.
The funding secured through the SDHF will enable us to deliver a programme of work that will result in more sustainable homes for those living in the properties. We look forward to continued engagement with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, customers and our other partners to take forward this work.”
