LEADING housebuilder Lovell Homes has welcomed a brand-new sale advisor to its Blossomfield development in Thorp Arch near Wetherby. Caroline Lewis, who has more than five years’ experience in the industry, joins the team having previously worked for another housebuilder and has also worked in the new build retirement sector. She will be responsible for overseeing and
This is a good time to be asking ourselves about fuel usage norms because we’re currently in the midst of a fuel-related transition period. As of April 2022, red diesel – the standard option for many organisations in the construction and demolition world – is going to cost substantially more,
Chubb, a leading global provider of fire safety, security and monitoring solutions and services, today announced a collaboration with Airbox Systems, a provider of asset tracking solutions for frontline professionals, to integrate situational awareness tools with Chubb’s security solutions. The collaboration provides CCTV and access control solutions that orientate users
Brent Cross Town, a joint venture between Argent Related and Barnet Council, is using Site Scan drone flight management and image processing software from Esri UK to improve the efficiency of groundworks surveys and how it communicates progress of the new neighbourhood. The software is being used to create 3D point clouds, textured meshes,
State of the art 437,000 sq ft facility becomes the fourth fulfilment centre opened to date by the online fashion giant. GMI Construction Group PLC has heralded the official opening of a giant new state-of-the-art 437,000 sq ft fulfilment centre built for leading online retailer ASOS at a site at
A development of 160 new homes in Milton Keynes which is to be built using faster modern methods of construction has been given the green light. Bellway will deliver a mix of modular and timber frame houses at Tattenhoe Park as part of a pilot project being led by Homes
Homebuyers, investors and the people of Leeds have been given their first glimpse of a new £23.5 million city centre apartment development, after its scaffolding and site hoardings were taken down as the scheme approaches completion. This follows last month’s topping out of The Residence, which sits at the very
Stoford has had its plans approved to extend Worcester Six Business Park on the southern side of the site. Wychavon District Council’s planning committee approved the application today (Thursday, December 9), which means the leading developer will be able to provide up to a further 680,000 sq ft of floorspace
DEALING with the pandemic has brought the relationship between the construction and healthcare industries into sharp focus, sparking new and innovative ways of working – and the future is looking bright. That was the key message from national framework provider Pagabo’s latest ‘Building Blocks’ podcast, hosted by executive chairman Gerard
Gresham House and ilke Homes have cause for celebration, as of 30th November the organisations officially broke ground at their first partnership zero carbon development at Hope Green in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. Delivered by ilke Homes and funded by Gresham House, via its evergreen UK limited partnership Gresham House Residential Secure
LEADING housebuilder Lovell Homes has welcomed a brand-new sale advisor to its Blossomfield development in Thorp Arch near Wetherby. Caroline Lewis, who has more than five years’ experience in the industry, joins the team having previously worked for another housebuilder and has also worked in the new build retirement sector. She will be responsible for overseeing and completing sales at the new build development. When complete, Blossomfield will offer 119 high-specification houses, with three-bedroom homes starting from £315,000 and four-bedroom homes from £420,000. Caroline said: “I’m so excited to start my journey with Lovell Homes, especially at such a beautiful development like Thorp Arch. I was drawn to Lovell Homes due to its excellent reputation in the industry, both colleagues and friends within the sector recommended Lovell to me based on not just the quality of the homes but also the workplace culture and the way it looks after employees. “I’ve immediately been introduced to the fast-paced working environment within housing sales, and I absolutely love it. My top priority moving forward is to achieve and maintain a five-star development rating by working closely with customers and making their dream home become a reality. I feel incredibly fortunate to be looking after my own development so soon after joining the company and I want to make the most of this opportunity.” Combining contemporary design with rigorous build quality, the homes have been created with modern living in mind and feature elements such as open plan kitchen and dining areas and spacious rear gardens. Caroline added: “Supporting potential homeowners throughout their journey, from the first viewing all the way through to handing the keys over, is truly magical and I can’t wait to bring this exciting new community to fruition.” Robert Adams, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see what Caroline brings to Blossomfield. Her passion for the site is evident and it’s been great to see her hit the ground running so quickly after starting at the development.” For more information, please visit Blossomfield, Thorp Arch or call us on 01937 318 046.
This is a good time to be asking ourselves about fuel usage norms because we’re currently in the midst of a fuel-related transition period. As of April 2022, red diesel – the standard option for many organisations in the construction and demolition world – is going to cost substantially more, because it will no longer be subject to a favourable tax rebate. In other words: fuel is going to get a lot more expensive. Given that red diesel will no longer be the obvious, commercially viable choice for the industry, now is the time to reflect on whether a firm commitment needs to be made to environmentally friendly alternative fuels. This chain of thought is precisely one which the government hoped to spark off with this new policy. As the policy paper notes, this tax change is designed to incentivise “users of polluting fuels like diesel to improve the energy efficiency of their vehicles and machinery, invest in cleaner alternatives, or just use less fuel. These tax changes should therefore have a positive impact on carbon emissions and air quality.” Efforts to reduce diesel emissions are, obviously, of paramount importance. As the Environmental Protection Agency notes, diesel emissions not only produce ground-level ozone, which damages vegetation, but they also contribute to climate change – an issue which is, as mentioned above, at the forefront of our collective minds at the moment. It’s clear that a switch to environmentally friendly fuels is a good move for all concerned. However, this kind of government intervention won’t achieve this by itself. Shouldering the responsibility on an industry-wide level The issue with the government’s taxation changes to red diesel, in an environmental sense, is that they may not provide the crucial incentives named in the policy paper. Marie Claude Hemming, director of external affairs for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), has spoken out against the supposed environmental benefits of the government’s decision. As she notes: “While the Government has legislated to remove the tax rebate on construction’s red diesel use, it has also removed any incentive for greener fuels. This policy increases tax revenues but no longer provides the option to choose lower carbon alternatives in the first instance.” Diesel might be getting more expensive, but green fuels aren’t getting any cheaper. This doesn’t mean that green fuels aren’t worth adopting, of course: HVO, to take a prominent example, produces 90 per cent lower emissions, and it’s made from renewable materials including animal oils, fats, and of course vegetable oil. Moreover, introducing fuel usage changes that prioritise HVO would minimise any disruptions to this transition, since HVO is compatible with existing diesel engines. This means that although, on paper, adopting a new fuel usage standard might seem like a big shake-up, there would be no disruptions to day-to-day equipment in practice. In this sense, then, it’s entirely feasible for the industry to adopt this kind of new fuel usage standard. Crucially, however, the construction/demolition industry itself needs to take on the responsibility of making this kind of bold change. Current government interventions aren’t quite enough – as such, the onus is on us to update our standards and take proactive steps towards a better future for our planet. By Ben Griffiths, SHE and Operations Director, Rye Group www.ryegroup.co.uk
Chubb, a leading global provider of fire safety, security and monitoring solutions and services, today announced a collaboration with Airbox Systems, a provider of asset tracking solutions for frontline professionals, to integrate situational awareness tools with Chubb’s security solutions. The collaboration provides CCTV and access control solutions that orientate users to real-time situations, informing decisions at all levels to frontline personnel in the field. Chubb is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions. The collaboration integrates Chubb’s access management system, ADACS, with Airbox’s command and control software to create a real-time situational awareness system. This technology provides a live CCTV feed via a secured network, directly to frontline field professionals including military, law enforcement, special forces, fire and emergency services who support air and ground operations. “Working with Airbox allows Chubb to further strengthen its security offering as Airbox seamlessly interfaces with Chubb’s extensive CCTV network, offering an unrivalled asset management capability,” said David Dunnagan, Managing Director, Chubb Systems, Chubb. ADACS is a specialist solution developed by Chubb’s in-house team that can safeguard security at the highest-risk sites. Its powerful and sophisticated information management system collates data and security information from multiple channels, and easily integrates with an organisation’s intruder detection, access control, CCTV monitoring and digital video recording technologies. “This collaboration with Chubb allows Airbox to make a positive impact on operative safety, and we are excited to work together to deliver cutting-edge situational awareness technology to our mutual customers,” said William Moore, CEO of Airbox Systems. Chubb has over 50 years of experience helping to secure the buildings, assets, facilities, systems, software, data and networks that are needed to keep the UK running. To learn more about Chubb’s collaboration with Airbox Systems please visit https://www.chubbfiresecurity.com/en/uk/systems/our-solutions/software-solutions/airbox.html.
Brent Cross Town, a joint venture between Argent Related and Barnet Council, is using Site Scan drone flight management and image processing software from Esri UK to improve the efficiency of groundworks surveys and how it communicates progress of the new neighbourhood. The software is being used to create 3D point clouds, textured meshes, video and 360-degree panoramas, enabling highly accurate and consistent updates to be shared amongst all stakeholders as the development progresses. A new park town for both Barnet and London, Brent Cross Town is an ambitious new neighbourhood spanning 180 acres, incorporating 50 acres of parks and playing fields. Delivering 6,700 new homes and 3m sq ft of office space for 25,000 employees, the town will be a major new office destination. New and sustainable transport links, a high street, local amenities, services and world-class sports facilities are also part of the scheme. Previously, drone surveys were commissioned to third parties on an ad-hoc basis, with outputs defined by the business purpose they were satisfying, such as project management, logistical planning, marketing or legal. Brent Cross Town wanted to create a more consistent and efficient method of monitoring site progress and make the overall drone programme easier to manage. Lily Wydra, GIS, Land and Property Manager at Argent Related, explained: “Before Site Scan we had no pre-existing software specifically for planning flights or managing and processing drone imagery outputs. Now we have a consistent framework for managing all flights through our supply chain, processing images, creating high quality geospatially-enabled outputs and disseminating them to multiple stakeholders. As a cloud-based service, Site Scan also means we can work seamlessly with contractors, such as civil engineering contractor Galldris Services Ltd, who we’ve currently requested to carry out drone survey work.” The drone team at Galldris has been regularly flying drone surveys with its fleet of DJI drones and using Esri Site Scan under Argent’s operator licence, since March 2021. Galldris has also been helping to maintain part of the network of GCPs (Ground Control Points) to aid in the auto-georeferencing of drone imagery. The team now processes monthly drone outputs to support internal operations and delivers them to Argent who utilise and disseminate them through a collection of ArcGIS Online maps and apps. Outputs include 3D point clouds which have been helping construction managers, technical teams and contractors understand how changes in site topography will impact the site and for performing volumetric calculations, on how much earth needs to be excavated and removed. While video, static images and 360-degree panoramas have been used to provide project teams, investors and the public with engaging visual updates on construction progress and by legal teams when working on leases with potential tenants. “Site Scan has enabled us to create a formalised and repeatable approach for generating digital drone outputs, irrespective of the survey provider, which is also proving to be more cost effective than commissioning one-off surveys,” commented Wydra. “Drone usage is increasing so having a scalable framework to manage flights and streamline the integration of data captured into GIS, BIM and CAD workflows is proving invaluable. Ultimately, better drone outputs support a better data-driven decision-making process.” Site Scan connects seamlessly with Argent Related’s enterprise GIS, Esri ArcGIS and is already enriching geospatial datasets. Drone data can be quickly published into ArcGIS Online to enhance pre-existing online maps, including those on-site or shared with Barnet Council, who has started to publish some data layers in its Masterplan. The regular drone surveys also proved invaluable for monitoring progress remotely during COVID-19 lockdowns, when site access was limited. Brent Cross Town is the first Argent Related project where Site Scan has been deployed but the developer business is planning to use it at other major developments, including King’s Cross and Tottenham Hale, as the demand for drone data increases. “Deploying Site Scan at Brent Cross Town has streamlined how we carry out surveys, visualise large-scale developments and communicate site progress,” concluded Wydra. “Engineering is a precise school of activity and drones are a relatively new part of the workflow but now they are working alongside tried and tested engineering practices and surveying activities. Site Scan is helping to build a more coordinated and efficient way of managing our drone programmes and will soon move to other developments as we scale it across the business.”
State of the art 437,000 sq ft facility becomes the fourth fulfilment centre opened to date by the online fashion giant. GMI Construction Group PLC has heralded the official opening of a giant new state-of-the-art 437,000 sq ft fulfilment centre built for leading online retailer ASOS at a site at Fradley Park in Lichfield. The £90 million development which took 39 weeks to build features over 407,000 sq ft of warehouse space together with 30,000 sq ft of offices. More than 700 people have already been recruited at the facility, with that number rising to 2,000 over the next three years in order to serve customers in the UK and 150 other countries across the world. ASOS said it expects to ship over 30 million units in the site’s first year, and up to 4.5 million per week once the facility is fully operational and automation is complete. It said it expects the facility to help it meet its goal of reaching £7 billion in annual revenue within the next three to four years. Speaking about the opening ASOS Chief Operating Officer UK Mat Dunn said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating the opening of our brand-new warehouse in Lichfield, which will support our ambitious international growth plans and bring a significant number of jobs to the area,” “Our choice of Lichfield reflects the skills and talent it has to offer and we’re looking forward to becoming part of the local community in the years ahead.” Also commenting GMI managing Director Andy Bruce said: “Its enormously gratifying to see this incredible building officially come to life and become operational. It is the culmination of nearly two years of construction, fit out and enabling works. The full project team should be very proud of what has been delivered here which once again is a clear example of GMI’s ability to deliver first class projects on time and on budget without compromise” ASOS currently operates three other fulfilment centres, in Barnsley, Berlin and Atlanta.
A development of 160 new homes in Milton Keynes which is to be built using faster modern methods of construction has been given the green light. Bellway will deliver a mix of modular and timber frame houses at Tattenhoe Park as part of a pilot project being led by Homes England. The developer has been selected to deliver the fourth phase of homes at Tattenhoe Park, a landmark extension to the town, and its plans have since approved by Milton Keynes Council in October. Bellway’s development will be located in the south-western part of the wider site, close to Priory Rise School. Construction work is due to get underway in April 2022with the first homes set to be completed byAugust 2022. Phase four at Tattenhoe Park will provide 112 properties for private ownership and 48 affordable homes for rent or shared ownership, as well as public open space and new pedestrian and cycle links. There will be a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, one and two-bedroom maisonettes, and two to four-bedroom houses. The 40 modular homes will be built off site in a factory, while the other 120 properties will be constructed using timber frames and panels in place of traditional breeze blocks. Adopting these methods will enable the homes to be delivered at a faster pace than those built using more traditional techniques. Paul Smits, Managing Director of Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “This is a hugely significant development not only for Bellway and Milton Keynes, but also for housebuilding in this country. Phase four at Tattenhoe Park is the first Bellway development to include modular homes. It will deliver much-needed new housing for the town, and it is one of a select group of developments chosen by Homes England for its pilot scheme. “The modern methods of construction we are using at Tattenhoe Park have the potential to transform the way new homes are delivered in this country. We are pleased to be working with Homes England on this exciting project to help accelerate the supply of new homes in high-demand areas. “The off-site manufacturing process eradicates weather-related delays, which means we can speed up construction while maintaining the high quality that Bellway achieves as a five-star housebuilder. “We look forward to starting work on the site and to releasing the first homes onto the market in Spring 2022.” Outline planning permission is already in place for up to 1,310 homes at Tattenhoe Park, a new neighbourhood which is being created on the southern edge of Milton Keynes. For more information about the development, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/tattenhoe-park.
Homebuyers, investors and the people of Leeds have been given their first glimpse of a new £23.5 million city centre apartment development, after its scaffolding and site hoardings were taken down as the scheme approaches completion. This follows last month’s topping out of The Residence, which sits at the very eastern end of Kirkstall Road. The development by KMRE Group, consists of 111, one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as two penthouses with large terraces and stunning views across Leeds and beyond. The ground floor of the development offers 2,400 sq ft of commercial space and there are also 25 parking spaces. More than two thirds of the homes in the 10-storey building, which are being marketed by Linley & Simpson with Morgans, are already reserved and KMRE Group has just launched a new website to showcase the development. Visitors to https://theresidenceleeds.co.uk/ benefit from up to date information about apartment availability, as well as full details on the development and its specification. Kam Mogul, managing director at KMRE, said: “The Residence is progressing well and the topping out of the development, as well as the scaffolding and site hoarding removal, are significant milestones that have given people their first opportunity to see how our landmark building looks. The response from both our buyers and the Leeds community, has been extremely positive. “The Residence will be the first development to complete on the Kirkstall Road corridor, which will soon benefit from hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment and development that will create thousands of new homes and a vibrant community in the area. We’re extremely proud to be setting a benchmark with The Residence for surrounding developments to follow.” Jonathan Morgan, from Linley & Simpson with Morgans, said: “The scale, height and quality of The Residence have already made a statement in this part of the city as a number of other schemes are set to come forward. “Following the topping out of the development, buyers can now also experience the ninth and tenth floor duplex penthouses for themselves. These are some of the most exciting apartments currently being built in the city centre and offer split level, open plan living areas with the bedrooms on the lower levels so that the living areas get the benefit of the generous roof terraces with city and skyline views.” The Residence is an easy walk to the LGI and Law Courts which are 12-minutes away, the railway station is a 15-minute walk and Leeds University or Holbeck Urban Village along the canal are both around a 16-minute walk. Apartments at The Residence start at £152,000 and the three bedroom penthouses, with generous south facing terraces, are priced from £463,000. For further information visit https://theresidenceleeds.co.uk/ or https://www.linleyandsimpson.co.uk/
Stoford has had its plans approved to extend Worcester Six Business Park on the southern side of the site. Wychavon District Council’s planning committee approved the application today (Thursday, December 9), which means the leading developer will be able to provide up to a further 680,000 sq ft of floorspace on 61.18 acres of land, adjacent to Newtown Road. An extension has always been part of the Worcester Six Business Park plans and it is included in the South Worcestershire Development Plan, which was adopted in 2016 by councils in south Worcestershire. Gerard Ludlow, Director at Stoford, said: “This is an important step forward for the growth of Worcester Six and it comes at a time when we are in a strong position to put forward our long-term plans to add carefully designed units that are in keeping with the location. We are looking forward to making a start so that we can attract even more national and international companies to Worcester, bringing much-needed jobs to the area.” The developer is also fulfilling its commitment to safeguarding and improving the green space at ensuring Worcester Six. It has worked with Worcestershire’s Green Infrastructure (GI) Partnership to create a long-term GI Concept Plan, which will see Stoford putting aside 6.55ha of the site for natural habitats and landscaping, in addition to on-plot landscaping. Plans include the retention of woodland, grassland areas, and species-rich hedgerows. New habitats will be created, including a wildflower meadow, a wildlife tower, and a variety of structures to support insects, invertebrates, birds and bats. Worcester Six Business Park is a few minutes’ drive from junction six of the M5 and home to a number of major national and international companies, including IONOS, Kohler Mira, Spire Healthcare, Cornelius, Kimal, and Materials Solutions.
DEALING with the pandemic has brought the relationship between the construction and healthcare industries into sharp focus, sparking new and innovative ways of working – and the future is looking bright. That was the key message from national framework provider Pagabo’s latest ‘Building Blocks’ podcast, hosted by executive chairman Gerard Toplass. The construction industry was given a glimpse of how the future could look as a result of the government’s plans for major investment in healthcare over the next decade, thanks to a vastly improved, collaborative and well-integrated supply chain, which evolved during the pandemic. The ways in which the whole industry united and problem-solved on the hoof was nothing short of impressive, adapting rapidly to ever-changing guidance to ensure as much certainty and support for clients as possible. This was a point driven home by podcast guest Stuart McArthur, health sector lead at Sir Robert McAlpine, who was also joined by John Carson, head of capital development and planning at NTW Solutions (a subsidiary of Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust), and Stephen Jenkins, director at Turner and Townsend. Throughout the conversation, the group discussed the ramifications of COVID-19, how their various projects were affected, the lessons learned, and how that all feeds into the future – particularly in relation to the benefits of frameworks. The challenges faced The number one priority for any and all businesses – no matter their industry – was the health and safety of staff. This was especially true within healthcare and its associated supply chains to be able to continue to deliver critical work and services. During the initial days of the first lockdown, many construction sites ground to a halt while clarity was provided on what work should continue. But when this clarity was provided from the government, the industry reacted with real agility, flexibility and innovation to find ways to keep schemes going, while introducing the necessary safety measures. Stephen Jenkins recalled the agility seen on construction sites, combining with a centralised and joined-up project management approach leading the way on solving the new problems thrown up each day. This attitude towards evolving practises and procedures in a safe and sensible way is something that was echoed in the pre-construction phase as well and is something that will certainly benefit the wider industry moving to the future. John Carson, whose team was involved in creating the NHS Nightingale Hospital North East also reiterated the personal impact. There had to be a focus on wellbeing and looking after people’s mental health. People have very different tolerance levels, and the pandemic had a detrimental effect on everyone due to the combined uncertainty and personal challenges they were facing. Certainly, one of the biggest changes we have seen in the industry is the impact COVID-19 has had on both designs and costings as clients look to ‘pandemic-proof’ hospitals and other schemes, as well as considering how more remote working of staff can impact capital costs. Knitting together relationships and futureproofing through frameworks The real power of frameworks comes from the long-term relationships that can be built, which are over time continually improved to form some of the strongest working collaborations in the market. This is something particularly pertinent in the healthcare sector, where there are hugely complex clients. With the NHS and its entities there are multi-stakeholder environments that bring together clinical and technical expertise, and there are very rigorous and complex approvals processes to navigate too. Clients and the frameworks that projects are procured through have all evolved over time. All have evolved to put more focus on social value, wanting to demonstrate the wider benefits from schemes – particularly large-scale healthcare projects – in the wider society. They often provide the best value to clients, but it is important to remember that best value is about more than just costs. The benefit of frameworks is the overarching platform, broader objectives and a longer-term timescale they have, which allow behaviours to be built over time and focus to be put on values and outcomes. This bigger picture of best value brings together strands – such as technology and carbon – that have previously been looked at in silos until very recently, when they are inherently connected. The key to unlock all of this is digital and data. For example, the right digital construction techniques and toolkits will enable better and more adoption of modern methods of construction (MMC), along with the parallel assessment of carbon impact. The Construction Playbook – which was first published almost a year ago and has provided the whole industry with direction on a number of core best practice principles – focuses heavily on MMC and digital adoption. These methods will combine with ongoing learnings from the supply chain, such as the real value in repetitive design. For example, once a treatment room or seclusion suite has been designed, the knowledge is there and can be repeated – and through MMC methods like modular construction can be built much more quickly. Together, the construction and healthcare sectors continue to innovate and work together to tackle combined issues – and create a better future for everyone, knitted together by a data-driven approach. You can listen to the most recent episode of Pagabo’s ‘Building Blocks’ podcast on Anchor and YouTube, and for more information please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/.
Gresham House and ilke Homes have cause for celebration, as of 30th November the organisations officially broke ground at their first partnership zero carbon development at Hope Green in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. Delivered by ilke Homes and funded by Gresham House, via its evergreen UK limited partnership Gresham House Residential Secure Income LP (GH ReSI LP), the development at Hope Green is set to become one of the first and largest operational net zero carbon residential developments to be delivered in the country. Sales launch off plan in January 2022 and will be marketed by the sales and marketing team at SO Resi exclusively for shared ownership. Due to additional investment by Gresham House more than two-thirds of the properties at Hope Green will include innovative technology meaning the houses will generate enough energy to become operationally carbon neutral. Crucially, the boilers will be replaced with air source heat pumps, which require just a third of the energy of conventional heating systems. In addition, photovoltaic (PV) panels will be installed which will generate electricity to support the functionality of the home. Gresham House have worked with ilke Homes to build in other sustainable measures including highly insulated homes, efficient LED lighting, and water fittings. Alistair Wardell, Investment Director within Gresham House’s Housing team comments: “It is vital that corporations consider the long-term sustainability implications for delivering residential housing. This is particularly the case for the affordable housing sector, where more acute financial constraints generally preclude investment into greener living and technology. We are proud to be working in partnership with ilke Homes to deliver Hope Green, as the first of several pioneering residential developments in the pipeline for the partnership, which is seeking to break the mould while working towards a greener future. With most houses being upgraded to operational zero carbon, our investment at Hope Green is helping to create a genuinely affordable development for future homeowners alleviating fuel poverty issues whilst protecting the environment. “Gresham House’s aim to invest in better placemaking through sustainable innovation is supported by the ilke Homes’ fully modular construction method. The homes are built in a factory setting, which allows for greater build efficiencies with significantly less waste and reduced carbon emissions during the construction process. The speed of delivery to site, provides enhanced returns from the development and means the model can deliver much-needed housing at a rate closer to market demand.” Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment at SO Resi, adds: “It is crucial that companies take sustainability seriously, but often greener living comes at a cost and is unattainable for the affordable housing sector. We are proud to be working in partnership with Gresham House’s Housing team and ilke Homes to deliver a truly unique development as we work towards a greener future. With the majority of houses being zero carbon, SO Resi Hope Green is helping to create a genuinely sustainable development for future homeowners at an affordable cost.” Matthew Suggitt, Development Director (South East) at ilke Homes, comments: “This is the first land-led, package deal site that ilke Homes are delivering in the South-East market and we are proud to be delivering it as one of the first and largest operational net zero carbon developments in the UK. Sustainability is paramount to ilke Homes and to the collaborative partnership flourishing between ilke Homes and GH ReSI LP. These new affordable homes are testament to that ethos and our ambition to deliver net zero development at significant scale. Production of the modules will commence at our factory facility early in 2022 with first installs on site in spring 2022.” Hope Green will deliver a total of 153 new homes, comprising 138 two, three and four-bedroom houses and 15 two-bedroom apartments. The development will see the first completions in the spring 2022. All homes at the development will be exclusively sold under shared ownership, supporting the government’s key drive for more affordable home ownership. Once complete, Hope Green will include a significant amount of green open space replete with play areas, nature trails, attractive water features, a number of biodiversity areas to encourage local wildlife, and a network of footpaths and cycleways providing commutable connectivity into the town.