Living Space Housing and housing provider Paradigm have secured a 3.5-acre site off Oak Farm Drive in the traditional Oxfordshire village of Milcombe. All 40 homes will be delivered for affordable rent or shared ownership.
Cherwell District Council has already awarded planning for the scheme, which has a development value in excess of £9million. Construction work will commence next month, with the first homes scheduled to be available for occupation before the end of 2021. A proportion of the homes will be constructed to meet Lifetime Home Standards.
The house designs across the spacious scheme will be constructed in either brick or ironstone, to reflect the appearance of many traditional residences within the historic North Oxfordshire village. Living Space and Paradigm have collaborated to ensure the scheme works towards the Government’s Future Homes Standard to lower carbon emissions. Air Source Heat Pumps will be installed at all 40 new homes to provide the future residents with sustainable, cost-saving heating technology.
Living Space has appointed Betts Associates as the Engineering Consultant, while Birmingham-based UMAA Architecture is producing working drawings for the scheme. Arcadis has been appointed as the Employers Agent.
Steve Davies, Managing Director of Living Space Housing said: “This is our first development in Oxfordshire, our first collaboration with Paradigm Housing, and the first scheme where we’ve taken the proactive decision to introduce Air Source Heat Pumps, so we are especially pleased to announce this key addition to our rapidly growing development portfolio. The whole team is working exceptionally hard to be in a position to commence construction as soon as possible, in order to meet the shortage of quality new homes in North Oxfordshire.
“We are actively seeking additional immediate and longer-term development opportunities and have the funding in place to progress these deals. We would be delighted for agents, developers and landowners to get in touch and explore how Living Space Housing can offer a sound and viable solution for your residential land.”
Living Space Housing specialises in providing an end-to-end service to Registered Providers (RPs), enabling them to deliver more homes with greater efficiency. Living Space takes care of land, planning, design, build and development. It can also assist RPs by delivering open market homes in order to help with a scheme’s viability. This enables Living Space’s clients to be able to focus on the funding and management of high-quality homes for their residents. Having launched to the market last year, the company is already on site at its first four developments. It has a total of 406 residential plots in agreement across middle England, representing a combined construction value in excess of £61million.
Rebecca King, Head of Land and New Business for Paradigm Housing said: “We are always looking for opportunities to provide new homes in areas that lack affordable housing, such as in this historic and picturesque part of North Oxfordshire. These 40 highly sustainable new homes will be offered for affordable rent and shared ownership – so that depending on the needs of the family or individual, there will be a suitable and affordable option for them. We are especially pleased that the homes will be installed with Air Source Heat Pumps, which will deliver cost-savings for our future residents.”
Milcombe is a charming Oxfordshire village located five miles southwest of the market town of Banbury. It benefits from a village green, local stores, a village hall, a 17th Century pub, and a church dating back to the 13th Century. It also enjoys excellent transport links to London, Oxford and the Midlands.
Living Space’s live development sites comprise 38 homes located off Park Road in the Malinslee ward of Telford for Wrekin Housing Group, 26 homes located off Britannia Way in central Telford for Accord Housing, 51 homes at Pixiefields in Cradley, on the outskirts of Malvern, Herefordshire and 48 homes at the former Victoria Carpets Sports Ground on the outskirts of Kidderminster town centre in Worcestershire. The latter two schemes are in conjunction with affordable housing provider Stonewater.
