Work is underway to deliver Amethyst Homes second development in Newcastle city centre, following the success of its previous development located at Northbourne Street, for Home Group, five years ago.  The joint development, in partnership with Bellway, will create 124 new homes, 45 built by Amethyst, comprising two, three and four bedroomed houses. The project has been facilitated by Tynexe, a joint venture company comprising Newcastle City Council and Consett based Dysart Developments, which carried out the necessary reclamation works to prepare the land for development. Richard Bass, Managing Director at Amethyst Homes, said: “This is an exciting development for Amethyst, located just off Westmorland Road in the heart of Newcastle’s West end.  “We are confident that this site will help address local housing need and will prove popular, due to its location and the variety of homes on offer.  It is rewarding to see work finally starting on site, as it has taken a true partnership approach to unlock this brownfield land.” The properties at Amethyst Homes’ Vallum Heights will be built using modern methods of construction, with the use of timber frame, which is a first for Amethyst. Working in partnership with Aberdeen based, Kirkwood Timber Frame, this method of construction will enable each home’s structural frame to be erected on site within a day.  In addition, benefits to the buyer include highly efficient insulation – in line with latest industry Building Regulations – and cost savings on energy bills. Andy Lewis, Business Development Manager at Kirkwood Timber Frame, added: “It is great to help Amethyst Homes deliver its first timber frame properties.  The benefits are far reaching for the developer and the home buyer.  “By using timber frame a housebuilder can reduce its carbon footprint by up to 40%* and it offers efficiencies during the construction process.  For the homebuyer, timber frame offers a greater level of insulation. Timber is a natural thermal insulator stores and offers low energy consumption, which in turn saves homeowners money on their bills. “Scotland are leading the way in timber frame construction with over 90% of all new homes using this build method, far less in England with just 23% across the UK overall. It is great to see Amethyst embrace this technology, which we know is growing in popularity in the region.” The timber frame panels are made in Kirkwood’s state of the art manufacturing facility using the latest machinery in a semi-automated process. This means that external and internal walls are made to precision, reducing time and labour required on site. Whole houses are delivered to the site where a crane lifts the panels, floor and roof into place usually within a single day, allowing following on trades to complete the build in double quick time. 68 homes on the joint 12-acre site will be fitted with solar panels to generate renewable energy and further reduce carbon emissions. As part of the regeneration of the area over 25 jobs will be safeguarded and a new homes sales executive recruited.  Through the lifetime of the project there will be investment in training and employment, parks and recreation and local community initiatives, which will include allotments and open space developed at the south of the site, next to Wolsingham Street.  Among the new trees and shrubs will be butterfly bank features to encourage biodiversity in the area. For more information about Vallum Heights, please visit https://amethysthomes.co.uk/our-developments/future-developments/vallum-heights/  Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Choice Housing, one of Northern Ireland’s largest housing associations alongside their subsidiary Maple and May, has launched the construction of their £18 million mixed tenure development in Newry. The project team were joined at the city centre location by Clonrose Developments, who will lead the development of the site.  The former Saint Clare’s Convent and Primary School in High Street, Newry was given the green light for redevelopment in March of this year. Development of the scheme is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, and when all work has been finalised, it is set to consist of eighty-eight units in total, of which 18 will be two bed apartments for private rent managed by Choice subsidiary Maple and May and a further 70 social housing properties, managed by Choice. Another key feature of the multi-million-pound scheme will be the bespoke community hub that will provide a range of high quality and cost-effective services to local people. Partners working with Choice and Maple and May in this project include Clonrose Developments, H&J Martin Construction, Gray Designs, a Newry-based Architects firm and Hall Black Douglas Architects. Michael McDonnell, Choice Group Chief Executive said: “This is one of Choice Housing’s biggest and most ambitious projects in recent times and I am pleased to see the project get under way. “Not only does this development represent a significant boost to the area economically and, at the same time, help to address the ever-growing need for social and private rentals in Newry, we also believe it is sensitive to an area that has historical significance and interest.   “In a part of Newry that’s been under-developed for some time now, when St Clare’s has been finished by contractors, Choice Housing is confident that this will be a very attractive place to live.” Stephen Davey, Director of Clonrose Developments, added: “We are really pleased to continue our strong relationship with Choice Housing and Maple May and deliver what will be our fourth and most ambitious project to date for them. The former St Clare’s Convent and Primary School represents a very challenging site from a development perspective, located within a conservation area and combining the sympathetic restoration of a listed Chapel and the retention of many mature trees. However, once complete, we are confident it will provide a unique setting for the 88 new homes, within walking distance of Newry City Centre.” Choice has 741 properties in the Newry Mourne and Down area, with 448 of these designated for family housing and the remainder a mix of sheltered and supported housing respectively. The high-quality homes, care and support services Choice provide help meet the diverse needs of its customers, including pensioners, families, mature singles, and individuals with complex needs. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

An event at a new development of homes in Ewyas Harold, Herefordshire has marked Stonewater’s 6000th new home. Customers and community members joined partners involved in the delivery of the homes at Blunden Meadows to celebrate both the completion of the scheme and Stonewater’s 6000th home to be provided since the leading social housing provider was formed in 2015. The completion of the development, which has provided 38 new homes with a mixture of houses, bungalows and maisonettes, brings Stonewater’s contribution to affordable housing in Herefordshire to over 2700 homes. The event bought together representatives from construction firm Speller Metcalfe, based just over the county border in Worcestershire, local authority Herefordshire Council and Homes England, who have partially funded the almost £8 million new development. Special guest at the celebratory event was former Chair of Stonewater’s Board George Blunden, whose father the site is named after, and who planted a commemorative tree to mark the 6000th home. During his tenure, George was responsible for establishing the Longleigh Foundation to address the gap between the needs of Stonewater customers and support available to them. He also championed public art on development sites resulting in the launch of Stonewater’s Blunden Prize, now in its second year, being named after him, and was also asked to unveil the public art installation at Blunden Meadows and a plaque commemorating the housing provider’s milestone. Stonewater has advocated and commissioned public art on its development schemes for over a decade, often relating the design to the local area and history. The Ewyas Harold site is no exception, with a steel train and benches representing the Golden Valley Railway, which used to run in the area, created by local architect firm, Studio Bad. Alongside the public artwork, the village site has been landscaped with green areas and trees and includes a children’s play area. Children from Ewyas Harold Primary School have also been busy making bird boxes and bug hotels for the site. As well as encouraging wildlife to the site, sustainability and the environment has been at the forefront of construction plans, with the new homes featuring the Kensa “shoebox” ground source heat pump system, used successfully on earlier Stonewater sites, and the Switchee system, which helps to save residents money by reducing energy wastage, as well as photovoltaic solar panels. Nicholas Harris, Chief Executive of Stonewater, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to have been able to mark the fantastic milestone of providing 6000 much-needed affordable homes across the country. We’re also honoured to be naming this scheme after the Blunden family, in dedication of their committed public service. “Developments like this make an important contribution to meeting the housing needs of the local community, at a time when affordable housing couldn’t be more important. “The Blunden Meadows site is a fantastic showcase for the amazing work that has been done not only here but on previous Stonewater development sites, working with partners to provide new homes alongside public art, sustainable features and community initiatives.” Mark Eaton, Director at Speller Metcalfe said: “We’re delighted to have finished this new housing scheme. Not only does the project mark a significant milestone for Stonewater, but it also means the residents of Hereford and Abergavenny have affordable and sustainable housing available to them on their doorstep.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Further expanding its commitment to creating even more New Build homes in St Helens, Torus Developments is investing £17.2 million into the development of 77 affordable homes at Rutland Street in Cowley Hill, St Helens. Contributing to a three-year programme to build over 500 new homes in St Helens, Rutland Street will see 23 Shared Ownership houses and 54 over 55s Affordable Rent apartments created. Focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the development itself and future residents’ energy bills, Rutland Street will see Torus Developments further its commitment to becoming a greener, future-focused developer. Funded, in part, by Homes England’s Strategic Partnership 2012-2026 programme and £1.16 million from Mayor Steve Rotheram’s Brownfield Land Fund, the scheme will redevelop a site, that was vacant for over 10 years, by creating modern, energy saving homes of the highest quality. Discussing the scheme, Director of Development and Technical, Steve Alcock, said: “Rutland Street showcases our ongoing dedication to creating new affordable homes and employment opportunities in St Helens. It’s a fantastic scheme overlooking Victoria Park and everyone involved has worked collaboratively to reach this point. “Torus are committed to improving the experience of our customers and neighbours in St Helens, creating a development that is fully embedded in its local community way before keys are handed over to future residents.” Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “We are specifically targeting brownfield sites to help protect our precious green spaces from overdevelopment – turning once-forgotten areas back into thriving communities. “I want everyone in our area to have the chance to realise their home ownership ambitions – to get their foot on the property ladder and invest in their future. Yet, for too long, achieving that dream has been out of reach for many of our residents who have been forced to contend with a broken housing market, that simply doesn’t work for them. Thanks to devolution, we are working to put that right by investing £60 million to open up a pipeline of 4,000 homes across our six boroughs by ensuring that there are suitable sites for development.” Kate Collins, Senior Manager, Provider Management, Large and Strategic Providers at Homes England, continued: “As a Homes England Strategic Partner, Torus has committed to delivering new affordable homes via the Affordable Homes Programme 2021-26. It’s fantastic to see works underway Rutland Street, which brings a neglected urban area back into use and represents a significant contribution to the programme. At Homes England we are committed to supporting our partners to increase the supply of good quality affordable housing in the communities where they’re needed most.” HMS’ Construction Director, John Barrow, continued: “Rutland Street is the largest site HMS has undertaken in St Helens to date and I am looking forward to be leading the development of a scheme that will see a number of green solutions embedded into its design. For HMS, we want to be at the forefront of building more eco-friendly schemes and be able to continue working with Torus on developing homes that meet residents’ needs in the short and long term, is something I am proud of. When completed, Rutland Street will not only be a great example of how we work to build fantastic homes, but actively create opportunities for local people and suppliers.” Due for completion by Summer 2025, Rutland Street will completely redevelop a brownfield site to create a thriving housing development that will give future residents access to numerous local amenities. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Building work is underway on a new £20m development of affordable housing with low-carbon heating systems in Cheltenham. Housing association Bromford has started construction of 71 new homes on a brownfield site on Village Road in the town. The four-acre site is the former home of the Douglas Equipment factory which had been empty since the site closed in 2020. The former factory buildings were demolished in April in preparation for work getting underway to build the new homes. The development, called The Fairway, will be a mix of 1-bedroom maisonettes and two, three, four and five-bedroom homes. Thirty-two homes will be available to rent, with the other 39 available to part-buy, part-rent through Bromford’s shared ownership scheme. All 71 homes at The Fairway will be heated by air source heat pumps, which are a low-carbon alternative to gas boilers. They are more efficient than a standard boiler, allowing households to use less energy to keep their homes warm. The homes will all have EV charging points, and most of them will also have solar panels. The £20m development is being part-funded by Bromford’s strategic partnership with Homes England. Project manager Stuart Hay said: “I’m delighted that work is underway on our new development to provide new affordable, sustainable homes here in Cheltenham. Installing air source heat pumps in all these homes will reduce our customers’ reliance on fossil fuels and helps us on our journey to becoming a net-zero carbon organisation. “House prices in Cheltenham are ten times average incomes*, which means buying a home in the town is out of reach for many people, so there is a clear need for more affordable housing in the town. With a mix of rented and shared ownership homes, the variation of housing we are providing at The Fairways means there’s something for everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing the site progress over the coming months and welcoming the first customers into their new homes.” The homes are being built by Bromford’s in-house construction team, which last year completed 232 of the 1,265 homes built by the Gloucestershire-based housing association. The entire development is due to be completed in spring 2025. The first shared ownership homes will be available shortly – find out more at www.findahome.bromford.co.uk *According to National Housing Federation data Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The brainchild of forward-thinking housing association, Midland Heart, Project 80’s design and construction has been significantly influenced by the Future Homes Standard, set to be introduced in 2025.  From the outset, Midland Heart was keen to meet all the requirements of the new regulations, which will see all new homes expected to produce a 75 to 80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to currently accepted levels.   The Future Homes Standard covers a wide range of criteria and the developer had to carefully plan every aspect of the build to ensure the lowest whole-life carbon performance. This ranged from the materials chosen and systems specified, through to the machinery used on-site and the fixtures, fittings and finishes in the property.   A low-carbon home also needs to be structurally safe, built to last and comfortable for the occupier. This meant balancing achieving the Future Homes Standards requirements without compromising the essential elements which comprise a quality home.  Fabric first housing  The Future Homes Standard is set to usher in a new age of energy-efficient, low-emissions housing. Midland Heart was keen to ensure it met the stipulated low u-values on its upcoming developments, leading to the initial concept of Project 80 and the objective of delivering a  fully ‘Fabric First’ development.  As Tony Hopkin, Head of Construction & Quality at Midland Heart revealed: “Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, yet we’re also conscious of our environmental responsibility, so we wanted to build homes which not only protect people, but the planet too. So Project 80’s overarching aim became the elimination of any unintended consequences which would cause the properties to fall out of compliance with the Future Homes Standard, as this would have massive negative implications for potential occupiers, and Midland Heart. Particularly, we wanted to show that, with the right materials and systems, achieving ultra-low u-values was entirely possible. By trialling different solutions, particularly the latest concrete and aircrete blocks, we were able to achieve u-values of 0.13, putting our properties comfortably within the Standard’s requirements.” The West Midlands has a wealth of local block manufacturers and a rich heritage of block production. For this project, concrete blocks were manufactured by Shropshire-based Besblock and aircrete blocks were manufactured by H+H. This blended approach not only achieved the required thermal efficiency, but the use of high-performance aircrete blocks, which are lightweight and easy to install, supported the air-tight structures and reduced the chance of thermal bridging. It also significantly sped up the construction process.  A material success  To meet its aims of achieving Part L compliance, Midland Heart needed to specify materials that could deliver maximum efficiency, yet also deliver safe, secure, comfortable and affordable dwellings.   Furthermore, they were keen to work with local businesses, ensuring a small supply chain with the minimum amount of energy and fuel consumption possible.       Photo by Midland Heart Housing Ltd As the project took shape, in the form of Eco Drive, comprising 12 new homes built using fabric first principles, Midland Heart, an advocate of traditional construction methods, embraced tried and tested cavity wall construction. A traditional method, they understood that this system would deliver the desired thermal efficiency without reinventing the wheel.   The 12 homes were delivered in 2022, and a report on resident evaluations of living and occupying the homes is due to publish in late 2023. The ongoing R&D programme will also include a detailed cost analysis, to identify areas for further gains in efficiency on later developments Cementing concrete’s low carbon credentials  Project 80 is providing definitive proof that concrete can play a crucial role in contemporary, sustainable housebuilding. It’s also proving there’s more to meeting sustainability requirements than upfront, embodied carbon.  That’s not all, the manufacturing process of the blocks used (Besblock’s Universal Star Performer in this case), helped Midland  Heart achieve homes that met the design brief’s 80% carbon reduction target providing significant embodied carbon savings.  Cured by energy from a nearby waste wood facility, using biomass boilers the products had significantly lower embodied carbon values than equivalent products.  Besblock’s use of SustainaCem cement, a pre-blended sustainable binder, and blocks cured using energy from a nearby waste wood facility, kept embodied emissions low, further reinforced by a local supply chain.   Tony Hopkin concluded, “Project 80’s vision has been to deliver high-performing but low-impact homes that are heavily tailored to resident needs. Technology and sustainability have been at the heart of this development to improve efficiency, but the fabric of the building was the starting point that needed to be addressed.  “Blockwork, whether concrete or aircrete, has very impressive whole-life carbon qualities which are often overlooked, but they are truly circular products that embody the core principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. In partnering with them (Besblock and H+H), we found sustainable products that could adapt and flex according to the other low-carbon components selected to achieve homes fit for the Future Homes Standard. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals