Work has started at the first Custom Build housing scheme in the North West in the village of Croston, West Lancashire.

The scheme has received £1.12m loan investment from the £30m Custom Build Fund, which is a Government-backed initiative to encourage smaller developers to build homes that can be tailored to individual tastes. The fund is managed and delivered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The residential development of the site that was once an old, derelict dairy farm will deliver nine new-build homes alongside the renovation of the existing farmhouse into a four bedroom detached home.


What was once the barn, will become three new-build two- and three-bedroom town houses and the remainder of the site will accommodate a further six four-bedroom homes, all of which are being constructed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) Level 4 and will be available for open market sale.

Paul Whelan, Managing Director, R P Tyson Construction Limited, said: "The Custom Build funding that we have secured through the HCA enables us to start this project immediately. We are currently clearing the site, stripping out internal structures and commencing with ground-works for the development."

R P Tyson Construction Limited secured approval 'in principle' of their Custom Build funding application, obtained detailed planning consent and completed site acquisition towards the end of 2013 and work is now underway on site.

(CD/JP)