WORK has started on a development of 161 homes on the sites of two former schools in Warrington.

A mixture of two and three bedroom houses and one and two bedroom apartments are set to be built across the sites of the former Sycamore Community Primary School in Great Sankey and Foxwood School in Birchwood.

The new homes, built by Wates Construction, will be available to private and affordable rent.

They will be heated through a community ground source heat pump network, while roof-mounted solar panels will provide electricity for tenants.

The two sites are the first to be developed by Incrementum Housing Development Company Ltd, set up by Warrington Borough to deliver housing in the town.

Homes England is providing Accelerated Construction funding to support the developments.

Wates Construction business unit director, Dave Saville, said: "We are delighted to be working alongside Incrementum and supporting them deliver the first projects as part of its emerging build to rent strategy.

"Both these sites have been disused for a number of years and the schemes have been designed and procured to deliver a range of positive impacts, both for the community as well as the council, the ultimate owners of the site.

"From a design perspective, the two settlements include shared community green spaces with green corridor links running through them while the properties benefit from a range of sustainable initiatives including ground source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.

"By procuring through the Scape Venture Framework, Incrementum not only benefit from a solution that balances speed and efficiency with value for money and cost certainty but also a firm commitment that social value is embedded throughout the process.

"The result of this will be a range of initiatives throughout the construction process that will include training and work opportunities for the surrounding area and a commitment to support local social enterprises."

Jonathan Smith, principal development manager at Incrementum, added: "We are excited by the delivery of these new homes.

"They are the first to be constructed by Incrementum, and we hope they will set a new benchmark for quality and affordability.

"The homes seek to further the Council’s corporate housing policies by making available a high standard of accommodation to all residents, regardless of background, status or income.

"In so doing, we are seeking to minimize the carbon footprint of the new buildings by using renewable energy, which should also reduce running costs for tenants significantly."