Ribbon cut on groundbreaking affordable homes scheme for NHS workers in Blackburn

The ribbon has been officially cut on a pioneering affordable housing scheme for NHS workers in Blackburn, the first of its kind in the borough.

Great Places Housing Group welcomed the Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, Councillor Phil Riley, along with representatives from Homes England and developers Keepmoat, to Attlee House at Water’s Edge to celebrate the official completion of the 37 affordable apartments located opposite Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Guests heard first-hand from residents about how the new homes have changed their lives, including nurse Salima Akuji, who proudly helped welcome visitors to the event and offered tours of her new home.

Delivered by Great Places, Attlee House provides the apartments for social rent, with eligible employees from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust being prioritised, ensuring affordable housing options for local key workers just a six-minute walk from where they work.

The high-quality apartments are part of the Water’s Edge development, which will deliver 205 homes on the banks of Fishmoor Reservoir.

The broader scheme includes privately owned homes from Keepmoat and shared ownership properties through Plumlife Homes, helping to create a mixed and sustainable community.

Nick Gornall, Director of Growth at Great Places, said: “These much-needed homes demonstrate our commitment to providing high-quality, affordable housing that supports local people and helps communities thrive.

“The partnership has worked collaboratively to target eligible people working for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and as it is fully occupied, this means the development is already making a positive impact for key workers who provide vital services across the borough.

“We would like to thank Blackburn with Darwen Council, Homes England, Keepmoat and everyone involved in helping us deliver this important scheme.”

At the event, Nick shared how the pioneering scheme had seen the apartments let to a wide range of NHS workers from the hospital, with a security of tenure that many will not have experienced before.

He also described how many of the new residents across the wider development are NHS workers, with deposits for the shared ownership properties starting from as little as £2,800.

Councillor Riley, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, added: “Water’s Edge is a terrific example of the power of partnership working to change the lives of our residents.

“Attlee House is now home to hard-working hospital staff, staff who deserve to come home to high-quality apartments like this after a day serving our communities.

“Right from the beginning of this scheme, we were adamant that key workers must be prioritised and we have achieved that and heard today what an incredible difference these new homes are making.

“One resident told us: ‘You haven’t built new houses here, you’ve created much-needed new homes’ and that is absolutely right.

“This is a pioneering scheme for our borough – a scheme that we are immensely proud of.”

More than £8.6 million has been invested by Great Places to deliver the affordable homes at Attlee House, supported by a further £3.8 million of funding from Homes England through the Affordable Homes Programme.

In total, there are 57 affordable homes within the development, just off Haslingden Road.

Sustainability has also been a key focus too, with Attlee House benefiting from an all-electric energy system, while homes across Water’s Edge incorporate features including photovoltaic panels, EV charging points, enhanced insulation and high-performance glazing to help reduce energy use and household costs.

Katie Dean, Director of Land and Partnerships at Keepmoat North West, added: “At Keepmoat, we’re committed to working with partners across the region to deliver high-quality homes across a range of tenures.

“Our investment in Water’s Edge, including the apartments at Attlee House, reflects that commitment. It’s been a pleasure to work alongside Great Places and our other partners to provide much-needed affordable housing in Blackburn and support the growth of this thriving new community.”