Barratt Developments PLC has entered into a joint venture with Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group to create MADE Partnership. MADE Partnership will focus on the master development of large sites, to help deliver thousands of much needed new homes across the country. MADE Partnership will act as master developer
Profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN, has been appointed to deliver a new cohousing community in Northstowe. Located eight miles northwest of Cambridge city, Northstowe is one of Britain’s most significant new towns under development. Following the success of its cohousing community – Marmalade Lane – in Cambridge, TOWN’s vision will bring together
Homes England has appointed profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN, to deliver a new cohousing community in Northstowe. Located eight miles northwest of Cambridge city, Northstowe is one of Britain’s most significant new towns under development. Following the success of its cohousing community – Marmalade Lane – in Cambridge, TOWN’s vision will bring
Rund has been appointed as Countryside and Abri’s Joint Venture Supervisor for a significant development on the former Ford Airfield in West Sussex. The plan will transform the site with a 60-bed care home and 1,500 homes, of which 960 of the homes form the joint venture with the remainder
Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) and housebuilder, The Hill Group, has secured plans to redevelop the ATS and Murketts site on Histon Road, Cambridge. The site, formerly home to the Murketts car dealership and an unused workshop area of the ATS commercial unit, will be transformed into a residential development comprising
Castlemere Developments is investing over £1.8 million in a new airspace development that will add five apartments to Wimbledon Chase. The Windsor-based developer has already spent more than £400,000 acquiring Vision House, an Art Deco property on Kingston Road, as part of the project. The scheme at Vision House will
Civils & Lintels, part of the Huws Gray group of companies, has secured a ‘preferred supplier’ contract with Gleeson Homes, the high-quality affordable housebuilder, to supply either IG or Catnic Lintels to its new home developments across the Midlands and North of England. The deal is part of Gleeson’s efforts
City & Country has further strengthened its expert technical team with the appointment of Adam Towers as Technical Director. Adam joins with more than 17 years’ experience, having started as a trainee technical co-ordinator at Telford Homes, before moving to CALA Homes, based out of its Northern Homes Counties. Adam
Proposals for a new environmentally-focused community bringing up to 555 new homes to Bristol have taken a step forward as a planning application has been submitted. Proposals for a new environmentally-focused community bringing up to 555 new homes to Bristol have taken a step forward as a planning application has
Housebuilder Keepmoat plans to transform nearly seven acres of unused land in Milton Keynes, building 115 new homes, with 50 meeting the upcoming Future Homes Standard. With a planned total build budget of £21.5 million, the project is due to be completed in March 2026, and will provide a range
Barratt Developments PLC has entered into a joint venture with Homes England and Lloyds Banking Group to create MADE Partnership. MADE Partnership will focus on the master development of large sites, to help deliver thousands of much needed new homes across the country. MADE Partnership will act as master developer for multiple large scale, residential-led developments from 1,000 to more than 10,000 homes along with a variety of community facilities and employment uses. Potential development opportunities will include large brownfield developments, as well as new garden village style communities. The partnership brings together Barratt, the UK’s leading national sustainable housebuilder, Homes England, the Government body responsible for housebuilding and regeneration in England, and Lloyds Banking Group, one of the largest funders of the UK housing sector. This is a long-term partnership, initially backed by combined equity funding of up to £150m provided equally by the partners. The partnership brings together the essential skills, expertise and long-term approach, with the ability to unlock and scale the capital required to bring larger sites into production, enabling both major and SME homebuilders to build the new homes and communities the country needs. Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said: “A failure to ensure the development system is working properly has held back the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes over recent years and this Government will work in partnership with all those who are focused on turning things around. “The landmark new partnership announced today will support our commitment to ramp up housing supply and boost economic growth by developing more large-scale, attractive and sustainable places across the country with the homes, jobs and infrastructure that communities need to thrive”. David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Developments, said: “We are committed to playing our part in delivering the millions of new homes the country needs over the next 10-20 years. To help us achieve this goal, we need to deliver more large developments. Through the MADE Partnership, we are creating a master developer which can manage the infrastructure and placemaking that is needed to deliver at scale, whilst consistently achieving the high quality and sustainability standards that Barratt is known for.” Peter Denton, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “MADE Partnership will provide a master developer platform with the ambition and capability crucial for creating not just the homes but the vibrant, diverse places England needs. Whether it’s transforming a brownfield site, extending an existing town, or creating a whole new village, the partnership will have the finance, tools, expertise and partners required to ensure a cohesive approach to delivering a fabulous place that people want to live and work.” Charlie Nunn, Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Our pioneering MADE Partnership between Lloyds Banking Group, Homes England and Barratt Developments has created a master developer – enabling the largest-scale projects and place-based solutions to be achieved, and helping to deliver tens of thousands of new homes which are so urgently required. This is the cross-sector collaboration we need, at significant ambition and scale.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN, has been appointed to deliver a new cohousing community in Northstowe. Located eight miles northwest of Cambridge city, Northstowe is one of Britain’s most significant new towns under development. Following the success of its cohousing community – Marmalade Lane – in Cambridge, TOWN’s vision will bring together high-quality design, good placemaking principles, and a commitment to creating a close, connected community in Northstowe. The development parcel – plot 2D1 in the Northstowe masterplan – lies directly to the south of Northstowe’s future town centre. Earlier in 2024, TOWN undertook a successful market testing exercise, which highlighted a high level of interest in cohousing within the Greater Cambridge area. TOWN is now in the process of building a group of future residents, who, through a codesign process, will help to shape the new cohousing community. The scheme will include 40% affordable housing, together with a range of communal spaces and facilities. Jonny Anstead, Founding Director at TOWN, said: “At Northstowe, we want to create a place where residents know and support their neighbours, and share spaces and resources to live more sustainably. The benefits of cohousing are clear: it allows people to live happier, less isolated lives, fosters a real sense of community and enables residents to share resources and reduce their environmental impact. And in delivering a new cohousing community here at Northstowe, our aim is to support Homes England in shaping a unique, thriving and diverse community with more sustainable ways of living at its heart.” The project once more sees TOWN collaborating with Mole Architects and builds on the success and learnings from Marmalade Lane, a 42-home cohousing development in Orchard Park, Cambridge, delivered by TOWN and completed in 2019. Celebrated as an exemplar for new housing in the UK, that project currently has a waiting list of over 400 households – enough to fill the development another nine times over. TOWN has recently published Insights from Marmalade Lane, a post-occupancy report that highlights the impact that the development has had on the lives of its residents and the social value it continues to generate for them and the wider community. This aligns with Northstowe’s ethos of being a place centred around wellbeing and sustainability. A key finding of the report is that the environmental, social, and economic benefits of Marmalade Lane collectively generate over a million pounds in social value. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Homes England has appointed profit-with-purpose developer, TOWN, to deliver a new cohousing community in Northstowe. Located eight miles northwest of Cambridge city, Northstowe is one of Britain’s most significant new towns under development. Following the success of its cohousing community – Marmalade Lane – in Cambridge, TOWN’s vision will bring together high-quality design, good placemaking principles, and a commitment to creating a close, connected community in Northstowe. The development parcel – plot 2D1 in the Northstowe masterplan – lies directly to the south of Northstowe’s future town centre. Earlier in 2024, TOWN undertook a successful market testing exercise, which highlighted a high level of interest in cohousing within the Greater Cambridge area. TOWN is now in the process of building a group of future residents, who, through a codesign process, will help to shape the new cohousing community. The scheme will include 40% affordable housing, together with a range of communal spaces and facilities. Jonny Anstead, Founding Director at TOWN, said: “At Northstowe, we want to create a place where residents know and support their neighbours, and share spaces and resources to live more sustainably. The benefits of cohousing are clear: it allows people to live happier, less isolated lives, fosters a real sense of community and enables residents to share resources and reduce their environmental impact. And in delivering a new cohousing community here at Northstowe, our aim is to support Homes England in shaping a unique, thriving and diverse community with more sustainable ways of living at its heart.” The project once more sees TOWN collaborating with Mole Architects and builds on the success and learnings from Marmalade Lane, a 42-home cohousing development in Orchard Park, Cambridge, delivered by TOWN and completed in 2019. Celebrated as an exemplar for new housing in the UK, that project currently has a waiting list of over 400 households – enough to fill the development another nine times over. TOWN has recently published Insights from Marmalade Lane, a post-occupancy report that highlights the impact that the development has had on the lives of its residents and the social value it continues to generate for them and the wider community. This aligns with Northstowe’s ethos of being a place centred around wellbeing and sustainability. A key finding of the report is that the environmental, social, and economic benefits of Marmalade Lane collectively generate over a million pounds in social value. Matthew Brown, Head of Development at Homes England, also commented: “Homes England is committed to making Northstowe a vibrant and successful place. A key component of this will be to provide a diverse range of housing types and tenures. Building on our existing Market and Affordable Homes – including Northstowe Discount Market Sale Homes for first-time buyers – cohousing will make a valuable contribution to this mix. “Appointing TOWN is a great next step in Northstowe’s journey, and we’ll be working to support the developer in bringing forward proposals for an exciting housing development which champions community at its core.” Homes England is master developer for phases 2 and 3, the final phases of Northstowe. Over the next 20 years, Northstowe will be transformed into a thriving community of around 10,000 new homes and approximately 25,000 people. TOWN is committed to supporting Homes England and its local partners in realising this long-term vision for the new town. For updates on the proposals, or to enquire about potential future homes, visit: https://www.wearetown.co.uk/projects/northstowe/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Rund has been appointed as Countryside and Abri’s Joint Venture Supervisor for a significant development on the former Ford Airfield in West Sussex. The plan will transform the site with a 60-bed care home and 1,500 homes, of which 960 of the homes form the joint venture with the remainder retained by Vistry Group. This includes shared ownership, first home and rental tenures. A minimum of 30% will be affordable housing, with a further 20% allocated as either build to rent (BTR) or additional affordable housing. Alongside this, the development is set to bring multiple benefits to the community, including plans for a new local centre with commercial and retail amenities, extensive community and leisure facilities, allocated land for a new primary school, and expansive public areas such as sports fields and allotments. As Joint Venture Supervisor, Rund will manage and facilitate decisions between all parties to understand and advise, where necessary, on all aspects and phases of the construction programme. The expert team will help ensure long-term positive relationships by providing regular reporting, support, review of financial modelling, and guidance in board meetings, to keep the project moving forward whilst maintaining a duty of care to Countryside and Abri and their partners. Leading to this appointment Rund provided Technical Due Diligence services to Abri, a large housing provider with more than 50,000 home and various community assets, on its 50/50 joint venture acquisition of the former Ford Airfield, as part of the JV acquisition with Countryside. The expert team provided technical due diligence surveys and reports focused on risk identification, mitigation and management as well as development funding agreements, carefully tailored to Abri’s requirements. Rund’s role has been instrumental in structuring a deal that works for both partners, giving them confidence in the site’s potential from the earliest stage. Jo Rothery, Senior Surveyor at Rund commented, “We’re looking forward to working with the team on this significant project, using our experience to make sure it delivers the best outcomes at all stages. This is a substantial project that is set to significantly impact the supply of affordable housing in West Sussex, and bring extensive benefits to the local community. “Rund understands the complete process to achieve success for JV stakeholders and has a proven track record, with the team currently working on leading JV and strategic developments nationwide, totalling over 10,000 residential units.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) and housebuilder, The Hill Group, has secured plans to redevelop the ATS and Murketts site on Histon Road, Cambridge. The site, formerly home to the Murketts car dealership and an unused workshop area of the ATS commercial unit, will be transformed into a residential development comprising 70 new homes – 28 council homes and 42 market-sale properties. Throughout the planning process, CIP has worked closely with residents and stakeholders, making design changes to the initial planning submission in response to feedback from council officers and the public. Cllr Gerri Bird, Executive Councillor for Housing at Cambridge City Council and CIP board member, commented: “At a time when there is a pressing need nationwide for high-quality, sustainable housing—especially new council homes—we are pleased to see the approval of our development on Histon Road. “This project is a key part of the council’s ongoing efforts across Cambridge to enhance living standards for current council tenants, build additional council homes to meet local demand, and address broader housing challenges, including the need for larger family homes.” Tom Hill, Managing Director at The Hill Group, added: “Throughout the pre-planning process, we engaged with the local community by hosting several consultation events. Following our initial submission, we continued to work closely with planning officers and community members to incorporate their feedback and address any concerns. “As a result, we made several changes to enhance the overall design and functionality of the development. This careful consideration of public feedback underscores our commitment to creating a high-quality, sustainable development that fosters community interaction while meeting the needs and expectations of local residents.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Castlemere Developments is investing over £1.8 million in a new airspace development that will add five apartments to Wimbledon Chase. The Windsor-based developer has already spent more than £400,000 acquiring Vision House, an Art Deco property on Kingston Road, as part of the project. The scheme at Vision House will feature one three-bedroom, two two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom apartments. The apartments will cost from £385,000 up to £650,000 once on the market. Having completed the property purchase on August 23rd, work will now commence on constructing the apartments. These will be built offsite using modern methods of construction (MMC). It is expected that the project will be completed by spring 2025. This acquisition and plans for Vision House follow the completion of Castlemere Developments’ first completed airspace project in Tunbridge Wells, which has 11 apartments. Castlemere Developments is in the process of securing a number of locations across the south east, which will see the company provide a mix of airspace developments and ground up properties. The company has purposely committed to off-site MMC to enable it to deliver projects much quicker than onsite developments, reduce the disruption to current residents, and ensure its developments are as environmentally friendly as possible. Kris Collett, managing director of Castlemere Developments, said: “Vision House is the latest addition to our portfolio which will feature five high spec apartments, which will include smart home technology. “Vision House, which was originally an office block, has already undergone conversions to 19 apartments inside the original structure. It also has four commercial units on the ground floor. “I expect to commence work on building the apartments in the autumn and for them to be lifted into place in the first quarter of 2025. The aim is to have the apartments on the market from spring 2025.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Civils & Lintels, part of the Huws Gray group of companies, has secured a ‘preferred supplier’ contract with Gleeson Homes, the high-quality affordable housebuilder, to supply either IG or Catnic Lintels to its new home developments across the Midlands and North of England. The deal is part of Gleeson’s efforts to streamline its roster of preferred lintel suppliers from seven merchants to two as it seeks to consolidate its supply chain to drive greater efficiencies. Jon Walker, group procurement director at Gleeson Homes, commented: “When deciding to consolidate our lintels supply chain, it was imperative that we were assured of access to the products we need, when we need them, and in the right locations. “Civils & Lintels, with its strategically placed nationwide locations, proved to be an ideal preferred supplier in this respect and when coupled with our experience of working with their knowledgeable team, I’m delighted to have reached this agreement with them. “We see appointing Civils & Lintels to our supply chain as the start of a long and mutually beneficial partnership.” With a vision to deliver high-quality, affordable new homes in the areas where they are needed most, Gleeson has set an objective of delivering 3,000 new homes per annum in the medium-term. Commenting on this latest win with a major housebuilder, Tim Slesser, national lintels director at Civils & Lintels, said: “As the number one distributor of lintels in the UK, it is fitting that we’ve been named as a preferred supplier to Gleeson Homes – a highly respected UK housebuilder with whom we’ve built a strong working relationship over several years. “Our £5m investment last year into our four strategically located lintels hubs was driven by the vision to further enhance our service offering to the UK’s housebuilding sector, and this latest win, vindicates that investment.” This announcement comes shortly after Civils & Lintels announced a preferred supplier agreement focused on hard landscaping products for another leading housebuilder, Vistry Group. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
City & Country has further strengthened its expert technical team with the appointment of Adam Towers as Technical Director. Adam joins with more than 17 years’ experience, having started as a trainee technical co-ordinator at Telford Homes, before moving to CALA Homes, based out of its Northern Homes Counties. Adam has since worked for Berkeley, working on its Clarendon Road scheme in Alexandra Palace, and Durkan as head of the Technical Department. At City & Country, Adam will be responsible for heading up the technical team within the business, working on flagship schemes, including The 1840 St Georges Gardens in London. He will ensure its new development schemes are viable and technically possible, including delivery of planning permissions and development programme, and managing any obstacles along the way. His role also includes support for adjacent departments, including Land and Design, enabling them to operate smoothly and efficiently. Adam Towers, Technical Director at City & Country, comments: “It’s a great time to join the business, with several new schemes and an ambitious five-year growth plan, it feels like the perfect time to work with a highly motivated team. Not only this, but the product they build is superior quality. The level of detail and design that goes into each development is beyond anything I have seen before, and it excites me how passionate City & Country are about their product.” Wayne Douglas, Managing Director at City & Country, added: “Adam’s appointment is a further investment into our plans to deliver more high-quality homes. Adam brings a wealth of technical experience to the business, as our project pipeline continues to expand across the UK.” City & Country specialises in the restoration and conversion of historic and listed buildings as well as new build, with sites across Essex, West Sussex, Wiltshire, London, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Dorset. The company is on track to deliver its five-year plan doubling turnover to £200m and tripling the number of properties complete each year. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Proposals for a new environmentally-focused community bringing up to 555 new homes to Bristol have taken a step forward as a planning application has been submitted. Proposals for a new environmentally-focused community bringing up to 555 new homes to Bristol have taken a step forward as a planning application has been submitted. Bellway Strategic Land, working closely with Bellway’s South West division, has unveiled its vision for a sustainable and eco-friendly neighbourhood on a 40-acre site next to Brislington Park and Ride in its outline application to Bristol City Council. The land has a draft allocation for housing in the emerging Bristol Local Plan and has featured in previous plans for development in the city. The planning application follows extensive consultation with the local community. This prompted some revisions to the initial proposals, with the designs evolving to lower the height of homes that are close to existing residential areas. New visuals have been released, showing how the development south of the A4 Bath Road could look. The plans feature a mix of apartments and houses, a local centre with shops and community space, ecological habitats, children’s play areas and public open spaces. The new neighbourhood would feature one and two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses, with 35 per cent of the properties allocated as affordable housing and a further five per cent set aside for custom and self-build housing. Fergus Thomas, Bellway Strategic Land Director for the Central region, said: “This submission marks a significant step forward in our plans to create a sustainable new community in Bath Road. This is a major project for the area and we have liaised with the city council and the local community to seek people’s views on how we should approach the scheme. “More than 40 per cent of the site area would be green open space, providing new habitats and wetlands for wildlife. There would be recreational routes and play areas for new and existing residents, including the wider community at Hungerford.” The design for the site would see the creation of a new community hub and mixed-use square at the heart of the development. Details of the homes to be built would be determined at a later stage. Fergus said: “Bristol’s housing crisis needs to be addressed, with the waiting list for affordable homes continuing to grow. “Bristol City Council has identified this land as being suitable for housing in its draft Local Plan and we feel this is an ideal scheme to play a part in helping address the huge demand for private and affordable homes in the city.” The purpose of the outline planning application is to establish whether the development can progress and to determine how many homes could be accommodated. The next step would be to apply for reserved matters planning consent to agree detailed matters, such as home designs and layout. Bellway Strategic Land oversees early-stage developments for Bellway. To find out more visit https://www.bellwaystrategicland.co.uk/. For more information about the new homes Bellway is currently building in the South West, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/south-west. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Housebuilder Keepmoat plans to transform nearly seven acres of unused land in Milton Keynes, building 115 new homes, with 50 meeting the upcoming Future Homes Standard. With a planned total build budget of £21.5 million, the project is due to be completed in March 2026, and will provide a range of high-quality, multi-tenure homes to add to the thriving community already in the area. The housebuilder will also create multiple types of housing for residents at the site to be named Haworth Place, including much-needed affordable housing stock through a local housing association. The development is located on the edge of Milton Keynes and is close to a variety of amenities such as shops, parks and transport links. The Future Homes Standard legislation update, which is due in 2025, requires all new homes to reduce 75 percent of the carbon emissions and is set out to replace traditional Building Regulations for new dwellings. Keepmoat has invested in new research and development to create an advanced delivery programme of new builds called ‘Echo’ homes, equipped with air source heat pumps, solar PV panels, increased levels of insulation and EV charging points to reduce carbon emissions from the homes. These new technologies will be rolled out across key selected developments in the house builders’ portfolio to begin the advanced delivery project, including within 50 homes at the development in Milton Keynes. Ian McFaul, Interim Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, South Midlands, said: “We’re thrilled to be regenerating this underdeveloped piece of land in Milton Keynes to deliver 115 high-quality, multi-tenure homes for the local area, including much-needed affordable housing options. The project is also creating a raft of new local jobs, training and apprenticeship opportunities, further boosting the local economy and the industry’s future workforce. “As the project continues into the next phase, it’s extremely rewarding to see the excitement about the plans to deliver these homes in this fantastic new town. We’re also proud to be delivering homes featuring anticipated Future Homes Standard technology ahead of the Government-enforced delivery model set to come in next year – a further step in our mission to create sustainable communities for the future.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
