Working in partnership with Knowsley Council and procurement specialist Fusion21, housebuilder Bloor Homes has surpassed its social value targets at its Elowen development in Halsnead Garden Village, as part of the Council’s planning obligations.

Fusion21 has been working with Knowsley Council using its Social Value Through Planning initiative to support the delivery and monitoring of social value throughout the construction phase of the development.

The collaboration between Bloor Homes, Fusion21 and Knowsley Council has delivered a range of positive outcomes for the community, including:

• 11 employment opportunities created for Knowsley residents
• Three subcontracting packages with Knowsley businesses
• Three new apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Knowsley

The 11 employment opportunities created are helping to fill key roles at the Bloor site as part of the Halsnead Garden Village development, including a local National House Building Council (NHBC) inspector, ceramic tiler, groundworker, joiner, sales advisor and six bricklayers. This has achieved the social value aim of increasing the amount of Knowsley residents working on-site at the Bloor Homes development.

What’s more, two local young people who started as apprentices on the development have now been hired as full-time bricklayers.

A primary focus of this collaboration was to create more opportunities for local residents that will lead to quality full-time employment.

Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic, said: “Construction of new housing at Halsnead Garden Village is not only creating much needed new homes, it is also providing employment and apprenticeships for Knowsley residents and creating supply chain contracts for Knowsley businesses. Additionally, the employment site to the south of the M62 will deliver around 1,000 new jobs.

“Halsnead Garden Village is the largest combined housing and employment development in the City Region and will provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

Sarah Maguire, Head of Social Value at Fusion21 said: “At Fusion21, we work with local authorities and developers to ensure construction projects create meaningful, sustainable, and long-term benefits for communities.

“Through this partnership, Bloor Homes has provided jobs, apprenticeships, and opportunities that will have a lasting impact on local people and businesses in Knowsley. This is exactly the kind of positive change Knowsley Council champions through its Social Value Framework.”

James Clark, Managing Director at Bloor Homes’ North West region, said: “We are proud to have exceeded our social value targets in Knowsley, and it has been very rewarding to welcome so many local people and businesses into our team at the Elowen development. We will be continuing our work experience scheme into 2025 and look forward to welcoming more young people to learn about the high standards of building we have at Bloor Homes.”