First phase of affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village gets underway

The construction of 750 new affordable homes on the Durham Coast is getting underway, marking the next milestone in the development of the county’s first ‘garden village’.

Karbon Homes has partnered with Esh Construction to begin work on the first phase of its new homes at Seaham Garden Village. The partnership will deliver 750 affordable homes, half of the total 1,500 homes planned for the new community.

The garden village will also include a new primary school, convenience retail and health and well-being facilities. Taking advantage of the location on the Durham heritage coast, around 50% of the garden village will be dedicated to managed green space, with over 3 miles of landscaped paths and cycle routes.

Sarah Robson, Director of Development and Regeneration at Karbon Homes, said:

“I’m delighted we’ve started to build these much-needed affordable homes at Seaham Garden Village which will not only be an exciting new location in County Durham but also one of the few garden villages being delivered in the north-east region. The project is a fantastic example of collaborative working, that not only delivers new homes but a thriving new community and a great place to live for our residents.

“We’re pleased to announce Esh Construction as our construction partner for the first phase of this scheme. We have worked well together elsewhere to deliver good quality, affordable homes, and we look forward to seeing progress on this site and new homes becoming available later in the year for people looking to live in a beautiful garden village environment.”

The first homes from Karbon will become available towards the end of the year, for both affordable rent and affordable home ownership options, shared ownership and rent to buy.

Karbon’s 750 homes are being delivered alongside 750 homes for private sale, developed by national housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes.

Andy Radcliffe, chief executive officer at Esh Construction, said: “We are proud to be chosen as construction partner by Karbon for the exciting and innovative Seaham Garden Village development. With a spade in the ground on the first phase, this marks a key milestone in our strategic growth plans as we capitalise on a number of major project wins within the affordable housing sector and help registered providers deliver more quality, much-needed affordable homes.

“As a Durham-headquartered contractor, our commitment to Constructing Local will amplify social and economic benefits in County Durham over the coming years, through local job creation, procurement opportunities, our bespoke award-winning school programmes, and quality work placements for the next generation of construction professionals.”

The 78-hectare garden village, located on the A182 going into Seaham town centre, has sustainability and community spirit at its heart.

Karbon is aiming to build all of its 750 homes to net zero carbon and the very latest building standards, ensuring they are fit for the future. They will all boast a range of energy efficiency technologies, including solar PV panels and battery storage units.

The delivery of Karbon’s 750 homes is supported by funding from Homes England, through the housing association’s Strategic Partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency. The strategic partnership has provided Karbon with £165m in funding, to deliver 2,200 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire over the next few years.