Business leaders across the North West joined top 10 housebuilder, Keepmoat, at its Water’s Edge development to celebrate the collaborative multi tenure delivery of new homes.

A total of 205 homes are being created as part of the housebuilder’s £31 million development in Blackburn near Haslingden Road and Fishmoor Reservoir.

Of the new properties, 57 are being delivered in partnership with Great Places and 20 homes will also be available for shared ownership through Plumlife Homes, creating much-needed new housing stock to help meet demand in the borough.

Senior representatives from Keepmoat, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Great Places and Plumlife Homes celebrated the progress at the site and the delivery of a multi tenure approach in housing, alongside local stakeholders and members of the community.

Land & Partnerships  Director at Keepmoat North West, Katie Dean commented: “We’re delighted to see the development at Water’s Edge reach this very important milestone. It’s fantastic to witness the progress being made on site, people moving in, and the landscape changing, showing the potential this site has to offer to future residents.

“With its proximity to the town centre, excellent transport links, and access to both independent stores and larger supermarkets, as well as leisure facilities like skating rinks and cinemas, Water’s Edge continues to offer an exciting and well-connected place to live.”

The development will also include a variety of measures to enhance biodiversity in the area, including creating green infrastructure, tree planting and a wildflower ‘corridor’ linking ecological habitats.

New play areas and footpath links with Fishmoor Reservoir will also be created to support healthier routines through walking and opportunities to spend more time outdoors in the park.

Nick Cumberland, Great Places’ Head of Programme, added: “As an organisation, we have a long history of working in East Lancashire, especially Blackburn, and it’s fantastic to see the transformation of the site into a vibrant new neighbourhood.

“We are committed in doing our part in tackling the housing crisis and this mixed tenure offering has proved very popular with the customers and will provide much-needed housing to the area.

“Our partnership with Keepmoat and Blackburn with Darwen Council is strong and is helping the people in the area gain access to quality housing and we look forward to working closely together in the future.”

The scheme has been designed to incorporate Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDs) ponds within the development to store surface rainwater runoffs, which reduces flood risk and  makes the neighbourhood a richer habitat for birds and bees, plants and people.

To find out more about Water’s Edge, please visit: keepmoat.com/waters-edge-blackburn