St William’s
Prima’s unique sweat equity shared ownership scheme helps people get on the property ladder
Prima Group’s 27-home St William’s Shared Ownership scheme is a multi-award winning project that saw people spend 500 hours helping to build their own homes in exchange for a £10,000 mortgage deposit discount.
Tasks included labour, painting, decorating, landscaping, administration, marketing and IT support.
The scheme was delivered by us in partnership with charity Housing People Building Communities (HPBC).
It saw the disused St William’s Church and Presbytery in Wigan converted into 13 apartments with 14 new homes built on adjacent land gifted to HPBC by Liverpool Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
Home-partners bought between 10% and 75% stakes in properties with the option to acquire more while paying rent on the remainder.
The scheme has the local community at its heart.
Affordable Home Ownership
Previously, 65% of home-partners lived in poor quality, unsecure private rented housing, 16% were couples with young children living in overcrowded conditions and 13% were served Section 21 'no fault’ evictions.
The area badly needed affordable home ownership opportunities for local people on low incomes who were being denied a safe and stable home.
With the cost of living crisis and escalating private rents, it was near impossible for many people in the area to save for a deposit.
With 84% of home-partners working in low-paid sectors, and of this, 42% being single parents, we put in place measures to ensure local residents were prioritised at St William’s.
Results
The scheme has delivered impressive social, economic and community outcomes:
100% of those moving into St William’s lived within four miles of the site
70% lived within one mile
100% of home partners work in Wigan
90% are employed in Ince
84% work in low-paid sectors
A historic but disused landmark on a derelict brownfield site was transformed into a thriving local community asset
Students from Wigan and Leigh College were given on-site work placements
An outdoor seating area was created for St William’s Catholic Primary School
Home-partners built strong relationships with each other, creating an immediate community spirit
Partnerships
Having bought the land from HPBC and invested £4 million so Shared Ownership tenures could be offered, we at Prima also leveraged our long-standing relationship with Homes England for additional grant funding to create energy-efficient homes with low fuel bills.
We capitalised on a strong relationship with Wigan Council to access Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Brownfield Homes Fund too. By working closely with Wilkinson Cowan Partnership and SME builder Holmpatrick Developments, we were able to minimise rising construction costs to make homeownership possible.
This innovative project was delivered thanks to the collaborative approach of the following partners:
Reaction
John Ghader
Prima Group CEO
“Sweat equity is a great example of innovative thinking having a direct positive impact on local people who would otherwise have struggled to afford a deposit to get on the property ladder.
“The partnership has also transformed a disused historic landmark on a derelict brownfield site into a thriving asset for the community.
“Home-partners have built strong relationships with each other to create a sense of belonging, which fosters a community spirit from the start.
“We need further schemes like St William’s to help people into homeownership and reap an array of wider societal benefits, but more government and lender support is needed.”
You can read more from John Ghader on how shared ownership has a crucial role to play in addressing the housing crisis here.
Reverend Dr Shannon Ledbetter
Chair of HPBC
“The sweat equity model embodies hope and integrity, offering those in need a hand-up, not a handout.
“Inspired by the values of unity, support and helping others, we've provided affordable, accessible homes for those who might otherwise never have dreamt of it.”
David Molyneux MBE
Leader of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council & Ince Ward Councillor
"I'm extremely proud of the partnership working that's taking place between our team at WMBC, HPBC and Prima in the project at the former St William’s Church.
“In my position as Leader of the Council and ward councillor where this fantastic project is taking place, I can see first-hand the immense impact it is having on the lives of home-partners and the community I represent.”
Awards
Prima Group and HPBC have won five national awards for the scheme:
