Magenta Living begins Oxton social housing development, Liverpool 2026

Key Points

• Construction is under way on The Parchments, a 30-unit development of social-rent homes located in Oxton Village.
• This £7 million development project is being built on the land that previously served as a school.
• The development will consist of eighteen two-bedroom homes and twelve one-bedroom homes.
• These homes will be the first social-rent homes to be built in Oxton Village for the past 10 years.
• The development has been designed keeping in view the conservation area in the locality.
• Homes England will be investing £3.57 million in this development.
• The Casey Group is the construction firm behind this development project.
• Work has commenced and is expected to be completed by January 2028.
• This development project falls under the 1,300 new homes to be built by Magenta Living across Wirral until 2030.

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) October 05, 2026 – Magenta Living has started work on The Parchments, a £7 million development providing 30 new homes for social rent in Oxton Village.

Wirral’s largest housing provider said the development would consist of eighteen two-bedroom apartments and twelve one-bedroom apartments. The homes are being built on the site of a former school and are expected to be completed in January 2028.

The project is significant for the village because the new homes are the first social homes to be built in Oxton for at least 10 years, according to Wirral View.

The development is intended to provide more affordable housing while responding to the architectural and historic character of the local area.

Magenta Living is delivering the scheme in partnership with Wirral Council, Homes England and construction company The Casey Group. The project is also part of Magenta Living’s wider commitment to build 1,300 new homes across Wirral by 2030.

Why is The Parchments development significant?

The Parchments development is intended to address local demand for high-quality social housing in a part of Wirral where new social homes have not been built for at least a decade.

The development will provide a mixture of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. This range is expected to support different household requirements, including people seeking smaller homes and families or households needing additional space.

The scheme’s location also gives it wider importance. Oxton Village contains a conservation area, meaning the appearance, materials and design of new development are particularly important to the character of the neighbourhood.

Magenta Living said it had worked closely with Wirral Council’s planners to ensure that the quality of the development respected the area’s history. The materials and design are intended to be sensitive to the conservation area rather than imposing a design that conflicts with the existing surroundings.

The housing provider’s announcement presents the development as an attempt to balance two objectives: providing much-needed social housing and protecting the identity of Oxton Village.

How many homes will be available?

The Parchments will contain 30 apartments in total:

• Eighteen two-bedroom apartments.
• Twelve one-bedroom apartments.

All 30 homes are being developed for social housing and will be available for social rent. The project is not described as a private housing development or a mixed-tenure scheme in the announcement published by Wirral View.

The homes will be built on the former school site. The name The Parchments reflects the history of reading and writing materials associated with education at the former school.

That name connects the new development with the site’s previous use while marking its next phase as a location for housing.

What did Wirral Council say about the scheme?

Cllr Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said providing more high-quality homes was a key priority for the authority. She said the council wanted local people to have access to good-quality housing in the communities where they wanted to live.

As reported by Wirral View, Cllr Basnett said it was encouraging to see Magenta Living bring forward another development in a popular part of Wirral. She also highlighted the importance of the scheme’s design, saying it had been developed with sensitivity to the conservation area.

Cllr Basnett said the development would help meet local housing needs while protecting the character of the neighbourhood. Her comments focused on the council’s housing objectives and the need to ensure that new construction was appropriate for its setting.

The council’s involvement reflects the planning and partnership work required to deliver housing in a conservation area. The authority worked with Magenta Living’s team during the planning process.

What did Magenta Living say?

Paul McGrady, Magenta Living’s Chief Financial Officer, welcomed the start of construction and said the organisation was proud to move forward with the development.

As reported by Wirral View, Mr McGrady said the scheme respected the unique character of Oxton Village while giving more people the opportunity to live in the area. He said Magenta Living was determined to provide more quality housing and strengthen communities.

Mr McGrady also said the development would create more opportunities for people living in Wirral. His comments linked The Parchments to the organisation’s broader programme of delivering new homes across the borough.

Magenta Living is Wirral’s largest housing provider. Its stated target is to build 1,300 new homes on the Wirral by 2030, making The Parchments one project within a larger long-term housing programme.

Who is constructing The Parchments?

The Casey Group is the construction company responsible for delivering the development.

James Reeveley, Operations Director of The Casey Group, said the company was pleased to be working with Magenta Living on The Parchments.

As reported by Wirral View, he described the development as a way to provide high-quality homes and give more local people the opportunity to live in Oxton.

Mr Reeveley said the company was proud to contribute to improving lives through the delivery of quality homes. He also referred to the potential lasting impact of the development on future residents and the wider community.

The Casey Group’s role covers the construction of the 30 apartments, with the overall project scheduled for completion in January 2028.

How is the project funded?

Homes England is providing £3.57 million in financial support for The Parchments.

Homes England is the government’s housing and regeneration agency. The funding forms part of its plans to increase the availability of affordable and social housing.

Shahi Islam, Director of Affordable Housing Grants at Homes England, said increasing the supply of quality affordable homes remained one of the agency’s key objectives.

As reported by Wirral View, Mr Islam said Homes England was committed to supporting partners of different sizes in delivering their housing ambitions. He described the start of work at The Parchments as an example of collaboration between Homes England and Magenta Living.

Mr Islam said the project demonstrated how partners could work together to create new communities and deliver homes that people could be proud to call home.

The £3.57 million contribution represents a substantial part of the project’s total £7 million cost. The funding is intended to support the construction of homes for affordable and social housing.

What did the Liverpool City Region say?

Cllr Graham Morgan, Deputy Mayor of the Liverpool City Region for Housing and leader of Knowsley Council, also welcomed the development.

As reported by Wirral View, Cllr Morgan said hundreds of new homes were being built across the City Region for local residents in different boroughs and neighbourhoods.

He said housing providers such as Magenta Living were helping to create new communities and deliver high-quality homes for a range of needs.

His comments placed The Parchments within the wider housing programme across the Liverpool City Region. Although the development is located in Wirral, the project contributes to regional housing objectives and reflects cooperation between housing providers, councils and government agencies.

When will the new Oxton homes be completed?

Construction has started, and The Parchments is scheduled to be completed in January 2028.

No earlier handover date was provided in the Wirral View announcement. The completion timetable means the development is expected to take more than a year to build from the October 2026 start date.

The construction period will include the delivery of the apartments and the associated work required to complete the former school site as a residential development. The project’s final availability will depend on construction progress and the usual completion processes.

The announcement did not provide details of how residents will apply for the homes, when applications will open or how the properties will be allocated. It also did not state the expected rent levels for the one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

What does the development mean for Oxton Village?

The scheme will increase the supply of social housing in Oxton Village after a period of at least 10 years without new social homes being built there.

For people seeking social-rent accommodation in the area, the development may create additional opportunities when the apartments are completed. However, the project includes only 30 homes, so it will not meet all housing demand in Oxton or across Wirral.

The development is also designed to fit within a sensitive historic setting. The use of materials and architectural features appropriate to the conservation area will be important in determining how the homes appear alongside existing buildings.

The former school site will therefore gain a new community use. While the site’s educational history is reflected in the name The Parchments, the completed development will provide permanent homes for residents.

Background: Magenta Living’s Wirral housing programme

Magenta Living is developing The Parchments as part of its commitment to build 1,300 new homes across Wirral by 2030.

The Oxton scheme is also linked to wider regional and national efforts to increase the supply of affordable and social housing. Wirral Council has identified access to good-quality homes as a priority, while Homes England is providing funding to support new affordable housing projects.

The Parchments follows at least a decade without new social homes being built in Oxton Village. The project combines local authority planning work, housing-provider investment, government grant funding and construction expertise from The Casey Group.

The development’s name reflects the former school on the site, and its design is intended to recognise the conservation area’s character. The completed scheme will provide 30 social-rent apartments, comprising 18 two-bedroom homes and 12 one-bedroom homes.

Prediction: how could The Parchments affect local residents?

The development is likely to increase the number of social-rent homes available in Oxton once it is completed in January 2028. This could benefit eligible households seeking accommodation in the village or nearby Wirral communities, although the limited number of homes means demand may exceed supply.

The project may also strengthen Magenta Living’s presence in Wirral’s housing market and provide progress towards its target of 1,300 new homes by 2030. Its success will depend on completing the scheme on schedule and ensuring that the homes meet the quality and design expectations set for the conservation area.

For Oxton residents, the main local impact will be the conversion of the former school site into a 30-home development. The scheme could add new residents and support the area’s housing needs while maintaining the appearance of the surrounding neighbourhood, provided the final construction remains consistent with the approved design.