Work is underway building 270 energy-efficient extra care apartments in Sefton for older people and those with supported housing needs.

Torus is investing £95 million in total across two sites in Southport and Maghull.

Steel frames will be made to measure offsite, craned into place then clad in brick onsite, cutting construction time by approximately seven months compared to traditional masonry-built structures.

In Blowick Moss Lane, Southport 141 properties will be constructed in a £50 million development that has been supported by over £11 million from the government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England.

Of these, 118 apartments will be in the main extra care facility, 18 in two separate independent living buildings and five mews houses.

Apartments will be available with a choice of one, two and three-beds offered at affordable rent and shared ownership.

The £44 million Maghull development sees 129 properties being built on land off Damfield Lane in between an existing retirement village and a dementia care home.

Torus’s development will be a mix of one and two-bed affordable rent apartments with open plan kitchen-living spaces and private balconies.

Homes England has provided over £10million in grant funding towards the cost of the scheme.

An array of energy efficient measures are central to the designs at the two developments in a move away from gas dependency.

Solar panels will be installed and all apartments will have hot water heat pump cylinders and electric panel heaters that remove the need for gas boilers and hot water pipes which are a main factor in buildings of this type overheating.

Managing Director of Torus Developments, Chris Bowen, said:

“Providing high-quality, purpose-built properties for the area’s ageing population is vitally important.

“These two extra-care schemes will provide everything people need to live independently or with some additional support.

“As a Strategic Partner of Homes England, we are committed to building homes using modern methods of construction and it will make a considerable saving of around seven months by making the gauge steel frame in a factory and craning it into place.

“We are also taking a long-term, eco-first approach to futureproof the scheme with a move away from gas. We have seen across the world recently just how volatile gas supplies and prices can be and as an organisation we are committed to using clean power wherever possible.”

Shahi Islam, Director of Affordable Housing Grants at Homes England, said:

“As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, increasing the supply of quality, affordable homes remains one of our key objectives, and we are committed to supporting Torus in achieving its ambitions.

"The start of construction on site marks an important milestone for the Sefton development and is a strong example of how we work collaboratively with partners to create thriving communities that people can be proud of.”

Both extra care schemes will feature a bistro, hair salon, communal lounge and generous outdoor spaces including landscaped gardens featuring bird and bat boxes, hedgehog houses and a hibernacula.

The scheme in Southport will be built by Caddick Construction with Eric Wright Construction delivering the Maghull development. Both will be completed in 2028.