SO Resi, the shared ownership brand of leading housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), will release its first annual report to unveil new research into shared ownership. The research has been undertaken together with Cambridge University and the findings will be discussed during a virtual roundtable on Wednesday 3rd
MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has partnered with social housing provider, Together Housing, to bring forward a £13 million affordable housing scheme in Nelson, Lancashire. Having completed the purchase of the land off Priory Chase from private owners, the site will be transformed into a housing development
MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has submitted a planning application to Preston City Council for the delivery of a new affordable housing scheme on Blackpool Road, Preston. The proposal looks to transform the vacant site, which was once occupied by two car show homes, workshops and service
LAUNCH OF ‘SO RESI AGENCY’ MARKED BY PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH BRICK BY BRICK IN CROYDON Today, the shared ownership brand of leading housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing has announced the launch of its new sales agency, created to help make shared ownership more accessible to homebuyers. SO Resi Agency’s
Work is officially underway for a key regeneration project that aims to bring affordable housing in East Leeds. National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes and Places for People, one of the UK’s leading affordable homes led placemakers, is redeveloping the brownfield site, located on Seacroft Crescent, into a 49 new home development, Pennine Crest.
Residents at a Salford tower block are starting the new year with a new-look home thanks to a multi-million-pound refurbishment by Salix Homes. The Salford-based housing association has recently completed a £7.5million improvement project at Fitzwarren Court in Pendleton, which has seen the high-rise building undergo a major facelift. The
CEO of Checkatrade, Mike Fairman, said, “Our tradespeople have shown great resilience over this challenging period and are committed to safely carrying out home improvement and repair jobs following Government guidelines. Checkatrade has worked directly with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to share additional guidance for trade
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed the purchase of a site on School Street, Thurnscoe, which will be developed in partnership with Homes England and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The site, situated within the Dearne Valley on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, was previously owned by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council,
Charitable housing association, Yorkshire Housing, has acquired an 18-acre development site on Boroughbridge Road in Knaresborough, where it now plans to build 120 homes that will be available through a wide range of ownership options. Dacre, Son & Hartley’s specialist agricultural and development division has managed the land, which forms
A digital property management platform which promises to simplify property management transactions for buy-to-let landlords, tenants and trades will soon launch an equity campaign on Crowdcube, the leading crowdfunding platform in the UK. Clooper has been developed to bring property transactions into the 21st century and offers a multi-faceted platform
SO Resi, the shared ownership brand of leading housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH), will release its first annual report to unveil new research into shared ownership. The research has been undertaken together with Cambridge University and the findings will be discussed during a virtual roundtable on Wednesday 3rd February at 10am. The virtual roundtable will be chaired by property writer and editor Stacey Meadwell, and the panel will consist of Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment at MTVH; Dr Gemma Burgess, Professor at Cambridge University; Jon Lord, Managing Director at Metro Finance; and Ben Fry, Head of Housing Investment at Gresham House. The discussion will focus on the key findings from the report, offering an overview of the shared ownership sector in 2020 and covering topics such as a more in depth look at the supply side of the market; management issues such as arrears; responses to the pandemic; and upcoming changes to shared ownership. Attendees will be invited to submit their questions to the panel on the day, and encouraged to give feedback throughout the roundtable in a series of polls. Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, comments: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic last year, we saw our highest level of interest from customers hoping to use shared ownership in 2020, demonstrating a clear demand from consumers for an affordable route onto the property ladder. Yet there is an obvious gap in the market in terms of accurate, recent data surrounding shared ownership and the issues faced in the sector. “Our inaugural report looks at the shared ownership sector over the past year, allowing both us and external organisations to draw conclusions that will help to improve shared ownership not only for customers, but for lenders and investors. This is the first report in recent history that evaluates data from all perspectives in the industry, which we feel will not only be hugely beneficial to us, but to all affordable housing providers. I am looking forward to discussing the findings of the report with the panel, which will offer a varied insight into shared ownership and contribute to our understanding of the affordable homes sector.” Dr Gemma Burgess, Acting Director Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research at Cambridge University, comments: “This research underpins many existing beliefs within the affordable homes sector, with respondents agreeing that shared ownership is a positive offering for homebuyers and an attractive prospect for investors and lenders. However, there are some concerns highlighted by those who took part in the research surrounding the upcoming changes that the government will introduce this year. The virtual roundtable discussion will bring together different perspectives, reflecting the range of respondents surveyed, and will allow the audience to offer their opinions on the research results.” SO Resi’s virtual roundtable discussion will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 3rd February from 10am-11am. Those interested in attending the roundtable or receiving a copy of the report can register here www.shorturl.at/hknuV or email matt@building-relations.co.uk. To find out more about SO Resi call 0208 607 0550 or visit www.soresi.co.uk.
MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has partnered with social housing provider, Together Housing, to bring forward a £13 million affordable housing scheme in Nelson, Lancashire. Having completed the purchase of the land off Priory Chase from private owners, the site will be transformed into a housing development of 114 new homes, comprising of a mix of one and two bed apartments, two bed bungalows and two-, three-, and four- bedroomed houses. All the properties will be available for affordable rent which will be managed by Together Housing. “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Together Housing for the first time to deliver this residential scheme at Priory Chase. We were keen to work with a partner who had the same vision to transform the site into a thriving inclusive community, providing local people and local families with the opportunity to live in a new energy efficient new home at an affordable rent level. With 100% of the development being available for affordable rent, we’re excited to commence construction on site, and we look forward to delivering these much-needed new homes,” said Alex Wood, Regional Managing Director at MCI Developments. The development marks the first time MCI Developments and Together Housing have partnered to deliver an affordable housing project. “Together Housing are delighted to have partnered with MCI on this new development in Nelson, Lancashire. The residential housing scheme will provide excellent new homes and help to meet the demand for quality, affordable housing in the North West. We are very much looking forward to working with the team from MCI on this project,” added Russell Gallagher, Development Project Manager at Together Housing. Construction is due to commence in February 2021 and is expected to take approximately 3 years to complete.
MCI Developments, part of national homebuilder Keepmoat Homes, has submitted a planning application to Preston City Council for the delivery of a new affordable housing scheme on Blackpool Road, Preston. The proposal looks to transform the vacant site, which was once occupied by two car show homes, workshops and service areas into a new residential development of 73 dwellings. The proposed scheme has a wide range of properties comprising of 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, 1 bedroom maisonette apartments along with 2- and 3-bedroom houses. All the homes will be energy efficient and future residents will benefit from a well landscaped development. As a 100% Affordable Housing scheme, the homes are likely to be available for Shared Ownership and Affordable Rent which will be managed by a registered provider. “Our vision for the site on Blackpool Road is to create a place where people want to live and enjoy. If our plans are approved, all the 73 homes will be affordable, ensuring the development is a major social benefit to the existing community and provides much-needed new homes on a site that’s been left vacant for many years. We anticipate the site will prove popular for young couples and families, due to being close to Preston city centre, with excellent transport links and great amenities nearby,” said Alex Wood, Regional Managing Director at MCI Developments. MCI Developments is working alongside SATPLAN who are acting as planning consultants along with Trevor Bridge Associates, Crofts, IGE Consulting and E3P.
LAUNCH OF ‘SO RESI AGENCY’ MARKED BY PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH BRICK BY BRICK IN CROYDON Today, the shared ownership brand of leading housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing has announced the launch of its new sales agency, created to help make shared ownership more accessible to homebuyers. SO Resi Agency’s first deal is with Brick By Brick, the development company set up by Croydon Council to provide high quality and affordable homes across the borough. The newly established SO Resi Agency will handle the sale of these affordable homes, which will be available for purchase through shared ownership. The homes comprise of one, two and three-bedroom apartments alongside a small number of maisonettes, in keeping with demand for entry-level properties for local first time buyers. The three schemes, located in Upper Norwood, Thornton Heath and South Croydon in South London, are designed by outstanding architects, including RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Mikhail Riches. Homes have been developed to a high specification, with timber parquet flooring, Silestone worktops, Bosch appliances and private balconies. All have a range of integrated energy efficient features to ensure their sustainability credentials, including secure cycle storage, solar energy, electric vehicle charging points, and an Environmental Performance Certificate rating of B or higher. Diana Alam, Head of Sales at SO Resi Agency, comments: “We are excited to announce our first partnership through our new SO Resi Agency, and to work together with Brick By Brick to increase levels of affordable homeownership in Croydon. Partnerships such as these create a genuine opportunity to leverage expertise and work alongside equally ambitious partners to accelerate the delivery of much needed local, affordable housing. “Croydon is a highly searched area on the SO Resi website, demonstrating that there is a clear demand from customers for shared ownership properties in this area as well as Greater London. We are pleased to be supporting Brick By Brick with the sale of these properties at three developments in the borough, which will allow aspirational first time buyers get onto the property ladder and secure their own home.” Colm Lacey, CEO at Brick By Brick, said: “Brick By Brick’s partnership with SO Resi Agency will help us to provide high-quality affordable housing to those who need it in Croydon and accelerate the returns we provide to our shareholder Croydon Council. These high-spec homes, which have been designed to our usual high environmental standards, offer a very appealing option for local people looking to take their first step onto the property ladder.” The award-winning team at SO Resi launched the innovative new shared ownership sales agency for external parties earlier this month, with an official virtual launch set to take place in February. The aim of SO Resi Agency is to provide greater access to affordable homes available with external parties including housing associations, local authority housing providers, investment funds or private developers able to promote their property on the SO Resi website. As well as promotional support, partners will be able to access the SO Resi teams’ shared ownership expertise including marketing and sales support. SO Resi partners will be able to gain increased exposure for their shared ownership properties via the agency website which already attracts approximately 60,000 visitors every month. Despite the unprecedented challenges the pandemic has posed for the country and the housing sector over the last year, SO Resi has continued to report high levels of demand for shared ownership due to its affordable route to homeownership. To find out more about SO Resi or the new homes available through Brick By Brick in Croydon, visit www.soresi.co.uk or call 0208 607 0550.
Work is officially underway for a key regeneration project that aims to bring affordable housing in East Leeds. National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes and Places for People, one of the UK’s leading affordable homes led placemakers, is redeveloping the brownfield site, located on Seacroft Crescent, into a 49 new home development, Pennine Crest. The site, which was previously owned by Leeds City Council and acquired by Places for People from Keepmoat Homes in August 2020, will offer a variety of house types along with new public open spaces. All the homes will be available as affordable housing through either shared ownership or affordable rent. “We are very excited to have started work on Pennine Crest. The site isn’t your typical new homes development, it is part of a wider regeneration project in East Leeds which represents a tremendous opportunity for the city’s growth, of which we will be delivering 10 out of the 13 developments,” said Paul Oldridge, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes. “We have a strong track record of delivering new homes across the country, particularly on brownfield land such as this. We’ve brought our experience to this development and, working with Leeds City Council and Places for People, we’re breathing new life into the area and aim to make a big impact on the local community, delivering real value to not only those to choose to live there but also to the surrounding area.” The £8 million development is part of the Leeds City Council Brownfield Programme which is designed to support the city’s future growth aspirations and will see over 1,000 new homes being built across 13 development sites in East Leeds. The programme will not only contribute to the delivery of new homes in Leeds but will significantly improve the communities and neighbourhoods in which they are located. “Pennine Crest will provide much needed affordable housing for people in Leeds on a former brownfield site. Alongside Keepmoat Homes and Leeds City Council, we will utilise our end-to-end expertise to create and manage a sustainable community for the long-term, with social value and people at its core,” added Nilam Buchanan, Regional Managing Director at Places for People. As part of their commitment to the local community and the city of Leeds, Keepmoat Homes and Places for People has pledged to support local people and help generate opportunities in training and employment through the use of sub-contractors and work placements. Work at Pennine Crest is expected to complete in Autumn 2021.
Residents at a Salford tower block are starting the new year with a new-look home thanks to a multi-million-pound refurbishment by Salix Homes. The Salford-based housing association has recently completed a £7.5million improvement project at Fitzwarren Court in Pendleton, which has seen the high-rise building undergo a major facelift. The 23-storey building had originally been earmarked for demolition as part of a wider regeneration of the area, but the plans were halted in 2016 when Salix Homes secured funding to modernise the block. The once-ageing 1970s building has been completely transformed inside and out, with the former blue and green façade replaced with modern tones of grey, green and orange render, as chosen by the residents, who have played an integral role in developing the proposals for the block. As part of the ambitious investment project, new kitchens, bathrooms, doors and windows have been fitted at all 135 apartments, along with a brand-new apartment conversion added to the ground floor. The communal areas, lobby and grounds have all been upgraded and a digital property intercom system has been installed enabling residents to contact Salix Homes via a portal to book repairs – the first of Salix Homes’ tower blocks to use such intelligent technology. The exterior has been completely rendered and a sprinkler system and state-of-the-art fire alarm system have also been installed as part of the landlord’s Safety Enhancement Programme across all its high-rise blocks in Salford. Sue Sutton, chief executive at Salix Homes, said: “For many years, residents at Fitzwarren Court have been in limbo about the future of their homes, so we’re delighted that our ambitious improvement and modernisation scheme is now complete, and residents can start the new year, and look forward to the future, in their new-look homes. “Our significant investment has given the building a new lease of life, complimenting the wider regeneration taking place in the Pendleton area, and ensuring this iconic building can stand proud on the Salford skyline for many years to come. “Salix Homes is committed to raising the bar of building safety in all our homes, having been instrumental in the development of the national Building Safety Charter and the Government’s draft Building Safety Bill. The additional safety measures incorporated into this refurbishment project cements our commitment to delivering the safe, modern and energy efficient homes that everyone deserves.” A geo-thermal heating system has also been installed under the carpark, which has improved the thermal efficiency of the building and reduced residents’ fuel bills. The ground-source heating system works by harnessing heat from underground, rather than burning fuel to generate heat. Salix Homes has been working alongside partner contractor Casey to complete the refurbishment programme, which has also included improvements to 10 terraced homes on the neighbouring Rosehill Close. Alan Taylor, director at Casey, added: “The Fitzwarren Court scheme has been fantastic to be part of and we have been so pleased to assist with improving the lives of those living in the Salford community by undertaking these works. “The project has transformed the appearance, practicality and sustainability of the block for many years to come. Whilst working on the scheme we have also been able to deliver new apprenticeships, work placements, job creation and assist with community projects, all of which will leave a lasting legacy within the Salford area.”
CEO of Checkatrade, Mike Fairman, said, “Our tradespeople have shown great resilience over this challenging period and are committed to safely carrying out home improvement and repair jobs following Government guidelines. Checkatrade has worked directly with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to share additional guidance for trade members and homeowners to help everyone stay as safe as possible. For example, we encourage our tradespeople to use video calls for advice and quotes, and recommend you keep in touch with your tradesperson to talk through the work in advance and agree how to reduce risks. “As we continue to spend more time at home, homeowners will be wanting to also invest time and money into making them as comfortable as they can be and as a result, we’re seeing uplifts in searches for tradespeople to carry out home improvements in the winter months bucking the trend of previous years.” The measures that homeowners are encouraged to undertake when carrying out home improvements and maintenance work include: · Keep in touch: Regular contact with your tradesperson in advance of any home visit is important – to talk through details of the work and to agree how risks can be reduced · Keep it digital: Checkatrade is encouraging tradespeople to embrace video calling for advice and quotes, whenever that is possible · Keep it clean: Clean surfaces around the working area and in ‘high traffic’ areas such as door handles with disinfectant before, during and after work is carried out · Keep a distance: Avoid too much face-to-face contact with those working in your home and keep children or pets in other rooms whenever possible
National housebuilder Keepmoat Homes has completed the purchase of a site on School Street, Thurnscoe, which will be developed in partnership with Homes England and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The site, situated within the Dearne Valley on the eastern outskirts of Barnsley, was previously owned by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and will see 360 brand new homes created in the area. The development will comprise of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes with off-street parking and private gardens, of which 5% will be affordable housing. The £52m development represents the third phase of housing on the wider site and highlights Keepmoat’s commitment to working with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to transform the area through the creation of high-quality, modern homes, public open spaces and a children’s play area. As part of their ongoing commitment to the local community, Keepmoat Homes has pledged to support local people and help generate opportunities in training and employment through the use of sub-contractors, work placements and educational visits to the site, which will be delivered throughout the lifetime of the project. Dan Crew, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing to work in partnership with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Homes England to deliver our third phase in Thurnscoe. “As a local developer, with our Head Office in Yorkshire, this acquisition is a positive step for our ambitious growth plans in South Yorkshire and following the success of previous developments in the area, it’s a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our presence in the town and cement our relationship with the Council. “The new homes are designed for both first time buyers and those looking to up-size, as well as providing much needed provision of more affordable homes. We are driven to make a big impact to the local area and aim to create a new community with open spaces and park facilities for everyone to enjoy.” The first homes will become available to purchase at the start of 2021 and the development will take around nine years to complete.
Charitable housing association, Yorkshire Housing, has acquired an 18-acre development site on Boroughbridge Road in Knaresborough, where it now plans to build 120 homes that will be available through a wide range of ownership options. Dacre, Son & Hartley’s specialist agricultural and development division has managed the land, which forms part of the former Slingsby Estate, in the village of Scriven for more than 30 years and the company negotiated the sale together with a national development promotion company. Detailed planning for the development was approved in August 2020. Yorkshire Housing plans to start work on the two, three and four bedroom homes in January 2021 with the first homes ready to move into by January 2022. The housing association currently owns and manages nearly 20,000 homes throughout Yorkshire. Ian Cox, a director from Dacre, Son & Hartley, who heads up the firm’s agricultural and development team, said: “This is a prime, oven-ready development site that sits just over a mile from Knaresborough town centre, so it attracted interest from a wide range of housebuilders and developers. “Agreeing this sale with Yorkshire Housing will deliver a good mix of high-quality homes that will appeal to all demographics, including many who would otherwise find themselves priced out of the market in this part of North Yorkshire.” Andy Gamble, Director of Development at Yorkshire Housing said: “We are delighted to have completed the purchase of this site and are looking forward to starting our latest development. The 120 new homes will be mixed tenure and will provide homes for shared ownership, affordable rent, rent to buy and market sale. “We want to continue creating new communities that bring more, much needed homes to Yorkshire where our customers are proud to live and call home. The creation of 120 new homes in Knaresborough is another step towards us delivering on our strategic priority of delivering 8,000 new homes by 2030.”
A digital property management platform which promises to simplify property management transactions for buy-to-let landlords, tenants and trades will soon launch an equity campaign on Crowdcube, the leading crowdfunding platform in the UK. Clooper has been developed to bring property transactions into the 21st century and offers a multi-faceted platform connecting landlords, tenants, trades and homeowners to facilitate transactions. The platform will bring benefits to tradespeople who will be able to use the app to connect with landlords and tenants and view and quote for upcoming maintenance and building projects, as well as manage their appointments. The app will streamline all projects, creating jobs alerts and even preparing proposals. Payment requests will also be sent via the app and landlords then also pay via the app. Landlords will be able to share tradespeoples’ details with tenants who can rate their work once it’s complete. Speaking about the upcoming Crowdcube funding launch, founder of Clooper, Toks Adebiyi said, “We are really excited to be bringing Clooper to market. We look to create customer value in everything that we do and we know that the platform will make a huge difference and improve the experience of landlords and tenants whilst bringing fantastic opportunities for tradespeople. It’s a win win all round.” The platform, Clooper, has already received a significant investment from leading property entrepreneur, Paul Rothwell of Empire Property. Rothwell has over a decade of experience in the build to let market and knowledge of the financial investment having raised over £35m through mini bonds. To register your interest on getting exclusive first access to the Clooper Crowdcube funding campaign, please sign up here. Investments of this nature carry risks to your capital. Please Invest Aware.
