Prima’s Sweat Equity Homeownership Scheme Wins Fifth Award
A ‘sweat equity’ homeownership scheme that helps local people onto the property ladder has won a national innovation award.
Prima Group, in partnership with Housing People Building Communities (HPBC), won the Housing Innovation Award for their 27-home St William’s scheme in Ince, Wigan.
The sweat equity model sees home-partner residents spending 500 hours helping the main contractor to build their future homes in return for a £10,000 mortgage reduction.
Work includes general labour, painting, decorating and landscaping as well as administration, marketing and IT support tasks.
It won the Most Innovative New Build Scheme category and is the fifth award for the project following success at the UK Housing Awards, Northern Housing Awards and Building Innovation Awards where it picked up two titles.
Chief Executive of Prima Group, John Ghader, said: “The St William’s scheme is a great example of innovative thinking having a direct, positive impact on residents.
“To have won five awards for this scheme is tremendous recognition for everyone who has been involved.
“With more support from lenders and government, this model has the potential to grow and have an even greater economic and social value impact.”
The scheme saw Liverpool RC Archdiocese gift St William’s Church and Presbytery plus adjacent land to HPBC which Prima Group then bought and secured additional grant funding for from Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
A development of 13 apartments/duplexes is being created through the restoration and repurposing of the church along with 14 newbuild homes added to the site.
What was once a disused building on derelict brownfield land is now a modern, thriving local community with a historical landmark brought back into use.
Local people have benefitted throughout as every home-partner that moved in lived within four miles of the site and 70% within one mile.
To involve the local community, volunteering and training opportunities were given to Wigan and Leigh College students so they could experience working on-site while an outdoor seating area for St William’s Catholic Primary School was also created.
