British Olympian and World Champion sprinter Richard Kilty has officially launched a new housing development in his hometown – the ‘Teesside Tornado’ unveiled The Sycamores in Stockton-on-Tees an £18.7m Keepmoat Homes development that forms part of the Council’s ambitious town centre renewal plans.
Being built on the site of the recently demolished Victoria Estate, The Sycamores scheme, located directly behind Splash Sport and Leisure Centre and near to the new Hampton by Hilton Hotel, is an integral part of the Council’s ambitious town centre regeneration plan.
Incorporating Healthy New Town principles, the scheme is designed around over 200 mature trees on the site to create a high-quality scheme in an attractive landscaped environment.
The Teesside Tornado scheme will form the North East corner of the new transformed town centre and complements the refurbishment of the Globe Theatre and other enhancements at the northern end of the town centre.
Work on the £18.7m, 143-home scheme started earlier this year and the project is a joint collaboration between top ten national housebuilder Keepmoat Homes and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.
Richard, who as a child lived on the demolished Victoria Estate was invited to officially launch the development and unveil the new show village which provides a glimpse of what the town centre living will be like in the transformed area.
Ian Prescott, North East Land and Partnerships Director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted that Richard has joined us to formally launch The Sycamores and witness the changes that are taking place in his hometown and on the site where he once lived – he’s a fantastic advocate for the area and a local sporting icon.
“Keepmoat has a long-standing partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council which has delivered the regeneration of the Mandale Estate in Thornaby and the Hardwick and Swainby Road estates in Stockton. The Sycamores is potentially the most ambitious and exciting project taken on by the partnership to date.”
Councillor Nigel Cooke, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, added: “We are delighted that The Sycamores is progressing well and it’s an honour to have Richard launch a new development here in his hometown.
“The site is the latest piece of the jigsaw in our town centres fightback and offers a variety of affordable, high quality housing just a stone’s throw away from local restaurants, leisure facilities, shops and transport links that will no doubt appeal to a range of residents.
“We’ve said all along that we have to revitalise our town centres and high streets in different ways – encouraging people to live in or nearby them is key to our vision for the future.”
