Work is underway on an £8 million housing project that will provide much needed affordable housing in County Durham.
The development, in Peterlee, involves Galliford Try Partnerships North and believe housing (formerly County Durham Housing Group) and will include homes in greatest demand, such as bungalows – some specially adapted for people with mobility challenges and wheelchair users.
Alongside the bungalows, a mix of two and three-bedroom family houses will be constructed. The majority of the properties will be offered at affordable rent, with 25 of the houses available through the government-backed ‘Rent to Buy’ scheme.
In total, 67 properties will be built on the former school site off Robson Avenue, with the first residents scheduled to move in from spring next year and the development completing early in 2021.
The development has been made possible by Galliford Try Partnerships North, which identified the site at an early stage and presented the opportunity to believe housing. The construction and regeneration specialist used almost £2.5 million of its Affordable Housing Programme Grant, obtained from Homes England, to unlock the potential of the plot and help secure the scheme for its partner.
As one of the largest housing associations in the north east, believe housing already provides affordable homes for 18,000 families in the region and is also investing £70m to create more than 700 new homes by 2022.
The development and regeneration specialist has worked in partnership with believe housing from those early stages to create a design that meets the affordable housing provider’s requirements and an application that satisfied planners. The result is a development designed to provide for families, as well as older people through the provision of 19 bungalows.
Sean Egan, Managing Director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with believe housing, which over the last couple of years, has delivered 40 homes in County Durham. Increasingly we are finding that by using our expertise, experience and grant funding to identify and kick start viable projects, we are able to help the region’s housing providers to meet housing need.”
Development Manager at believe housing, Tom Winter, said: “This is our largest single development to date and a significant investment in east Durham. It’s a key project in our programme of 700 new homes and will create high-quality affordable housing at the heart of Peterlee for decades to come.
“This partnership has given us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to finding new and innovative ways that we can help to meet the strong demand for affordable homes in the north east. We’re looking forward to working closely with Galliford Try Partnerships North and local residents to ensure construction goes smoothly and disruption is kept to a minimum during the building process.”
The Peterlee project is one of eight recently secured by Galliford Try Partnerships North, which will deliver more than 1,000 homes across the north east. With a gross development value of £173 million, the initiatives include properties for open market sale, shared ownership, affordable rent, private rent and extra care facilities for the over 55’s.
*Picture caption: As site drainage work begins, pictured (L/R) are Jake Robson, Assistant Development Manager with Galliford Try Partnerships North; Alan Smith, Executive Director of Investment, Growth and Performance at believe housing; Sean Egan and Tom Winter, examining plans for the 67 home Robson Avenue development in Peterlee.*