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
A property maintenance company is celebrating the academic success of its only female service manager. Stacey Bowling, who works at Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of one of the UK’s largest social landlords, Platform Housing Group – has recently passed an HNC in Construction with flying colours. Stacey – who manages the organisation’s unoccupied properties in both Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, began her
Work is set to start on a £11.5 million affordable housing development in Sheffield in the new year. The 93 homes, which are being built off Ferrars Road in Tinsley, will be available for affordable rent via Together Housing Group and have been brought forward by Caddick Group. The development, which will comprise 19 two-bedroom houses, 70 three-bedroom houses and four
The publicly traded Daiwa House Group (Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., with a turnover of around € 32 billion) signed a share purchase agreement with the current shareholders of Flexbuild Holding (Flexbuild) on December 18, 2020. Flexbuild is the holding company of Jan Snel Group (Jan Snel), which realises modular building solutions in the
Kingston Council is working with Richmond Housing Partnership Group (RHP) to deliver three new residential development schemes that will bring 106 new affordable homes to the Royal Borough over the next two years. One of these is South Place, Surbiton, which will be made up of 49 new affordable homes,
Housing association Poplar HARCA has appointed Housebuilder of the Year, Hill as joint venture partner to deliver the Teviot Estate regeneration in Tower Hamlets, which could include more than 2,500 new homes, new green and play spaces, shops, community and faith facilities, and improved infrastructure. On an 81% turnout, 86%
Despite the country being placed into its second national lockdown last month, SO Resi has reported continued strong demand for shared ownership in November. SO Resi, the shared ownership brand for Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, saw enquiries soar by 88% when compared to the same month last year. The housing
Network Homes is planning to build much needed affordable homes on unused land in Northolt. A total of 149 homes will be built at Dabbs Hill near to Northolt High School with 118 apartments and 31 family sized houses. All will be affordable with 131 homes for shared ownership and
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.
A property maintenance company is celebrating the academic success of its only female service manager. Stacey Bowling, who works at Platform Property Care – a subsidiary of one of the UK’s largest social landlords, Platform Housing Group – has recently passed an HNC in Construction with flying colours. Stacey – who manages the organisation’s unoccupied properties in both Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, began her career in social housing 12 years ago at the age of 17. She explained: “Working in social housing has been the best career decision I could have made. To begin with the jobs I worked in provided back office support within Repairs and Maintenance; I was keen to develop my skills however and ultimately move into a more technical role. As I had no specialist trade experience or qualifications I thought my options would be extremely limited; I couldn’t have been further from the truth!” All employees at Platform Property Care receive a career development plan with the chance to gain formal qualifications. Stacey has been supported in her studies – including an NVQ Level 3 in Management, a BTEC Level 3 in Workforce Development and a Level 2 Certificate in Contracts Law – culminating in a BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment, giving her an indepth knowledge of subjects including construction technology and surveying. Stacey is now studying for an NVQ Level 4 in Construction Site Supervision. Malcolm Kaszics, Assistant Director of Property Management and Growth at Platform Property Care said : “We are so proud of Stacey; her success is testimony to her hard work and dedication. Interestingly, women make up a mere 11 per cent of the construction workforce in the UK and just 1 per cent of workers on site; indeed, the proportion of those with specialist skills such as roofers, bricklayers and glaziers are so low they are practically unmeasurable. However, here at Platform Property Care we strongly feel that the role of women in construction is critical for equality, fairness, parity and impartially within the construction sector. Congratulations to Stacey and we look forward to her continuing career success.” Stacey concluded : “I am proud to work for Platform Property Care and hope my contribution will help us to achieve our aims as a social housing provider. I have never felt that my gender or age has held me back and I am passionate about women developing careers in what are seen as traditional male roles. My aim is to continue to learn and improve every day and be part of something that really does change lives.” Platform Property Care continues to grow and has ambitious plans to deliver the majority of its maintenance and compliance activities to all its customers and joint venture partners. For further information please contact Stacey Bowling, Service Manager, Platform Property Care on 0121 788 7804 or email her at stacey.bowling@platformhg.com.
Work is set to start on a £11.5 million affordable housing development in Sheffield in the new year. The 93 homes, which are being built off Ferrars Road in Tinsley, will be available for affordable rent via Together Housing Group and have been brought forward by Caddick Group. The development, which will comprise 19 two-bedroom houses, 70 three-bedroom houses and four four-bedroom houses, is possible thanks to funding from Homes England. Together Housing was announced as one of the government housing agency’s strategic partners in January 2019, receiving £53 million to help deliver 1,152 additional affordable home starts by March 2022. According to Zoopla, the average price for property in Sheffield stood at £211,334 in November 2020. This is a rise of 5.17% compared to 12 months ago. Kevin Ruth, Deputy Chief Executive for Together Housing said: “Rising house prices are forcing many young individuals, couples and families out of the area they grew up in and away from their support networks. “The provision of affordable houses for rent in the city will enable those priced out of the housing market, including key workers and low-income families, to put roots down in the city.” Johnny Caddick of Caddick Group said: “We’ve been involved in this project from the outset, and working with Together Housing to realise such an important scheme, which is set to help so many individuals and families to find their new homes at affordable prices, has been a very positive experience. “Working closely with Together Housing from the start, demonstrates the breadth of what we offer as a Group as well as the collaboration and understanding required to make these types of projects successful.” The scheme, which will also include landscaped open space with ponds and public art, is set to be completed by early 2023, with the first homes being ready to welcome new residents in early 2022.
The publicly traded Daiwa House Group (Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd., with a turnover of around € 32 billion) signed a share purchase agreement with the current shareholders of Flexbuild Holding (Flexbuild) on December 18, 2020. Flexbuild is the holding company of Jan Snel Group (Jan Snel), which realises modular building solutions in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. With this agreement, Flexbuild and Jan Snel will become part of Daiwa House Group and together are taking an important step in the ongoing rollout of industrialised building across Europe. Investing in new markets Jan Snel and Daiwa House are forerunners in industrialised and modular building. Daiwa House is already active in Asia, North America and Australia. Together with Jan Snel, Daiwa House will be capable of further expanding its modular building business within the European market. The growing housing shortage and a lack of professionals in the European market has resulted in increased demand for smarter housing solutions in the market. By combining global knowledge, manpower and solutions, Jan Snel can offer well-suited solutions for the European housing shortage. Strong growth ambitions Jan Snel is the market leader in the Netherlands in the field of industrialised and modular building. By producing housing under controlled conditions in their factory, Jan Snel is able to improve both the quality and speed of the construction process. The reusage of materials, in combination with less waste and fewer emissions, enables the shift towards a more circular economy. Jan Snel specialises in innovative, industrialised solutions for the residential, healthcare, office, educational and industrial sectors. The Dutch company (based in Montfoort) has been making international progress and is already active in Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Harry van Zandwijk, CEO of Jan Snel, explains: “The signing of this agreement is a reflection of our growth ambition. Daiwa House will add further expertise in industrial building to Jan Snel’s existing knowledge. With this, we want to become the clear market leader in Europe. In comparison to traditional construction methods, our modular construction method is smarter, faster and more sustainable. By combining our solutions and expertise with the strength of Daiwa House, we are laying a strong foundation for the future.”
Kingston Council is working with Richmond Housing Partnership Group (RHP) to deliver three new residential development schemes that will bring 106 new affordable homes to the Royal Borough over the next two years. One of these is South Place, Surbiton, which will be made up of 49 new affordable homes, with a combination of London Affordable Rent, London Living Rent and Shared Ownership. This exciting project, which will include basement parking and a new landscaped area within a mile of Surbiton station, is due to complete in autumn 2021. This development is being funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA). Cllr Emily Davey, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Kingston Council, said: “I was shown round this exciting new scheme. The layout is designed to promote a sense of community with a courtyard garden. The fact that it will be 100% affordable with London Affordable Rents, London Living Rents and Shared Ownership means it will serve the needs of all our community. “ RHP Group is a housing association based in South West London. They currently own or manage around 10,000 good quality, affordable homes to meet the needs of people who cannot otherwise afford to live locally across South West London. These include homes for social rent and Shared Ownership. David Done, Chief Executive at the RHP Group said: “We’re delighted to be delivering this exciting development in Surbiton. A key part of our purpose is to deliver homes people can be proud of, for communities that need them most. Therefore, the fact that there will be a mixture of tenures within South Place is really important to us. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank both Kingston Council and the GLA for all of their continued support with this special project.”
Housing association Poplar HARCA has appointed Housebuilder of the Year, Hill as joint venture partner to deliver the Teviot Estate regeneration in Tower Hamlets, which could include more than 2,500 new homes, new green and play spaces, shops, community and faith facilities, and improved infrastructure. On an 81% turnout, 86% of residents backed proposals for regenerating the estate in a ballot last year. Since then, a steering group of residents and an independent advisor have led the procurement process to select a preferred developer from five initial bidders. Paul Mancrief, Resident Steering Group member said: “As I have been part of an active community for over forty five years, I naturally got involved in the process of selecting a joint development partner to build a new Teviot Estate, ensuring the community voice is heard with aspirations and ideas towards a positive built outcome. Hill were found to be very knowledgeable with regard to the area, the issues Teviot currently faces and were full of practical ways to overcome them both now and in the future.” Steve Stride, Chief Executive, Poplar HARCA said: “Hill demonstrated a complete alignment with the community and our vision for the Teviot regeneration to be a “best in class” exemplar for urban regeneration, putting residents and stakeholders at its heart. “Hill provided an exceptional social value offer and illustrated a well thought through and realistic commercial bid, which balanced pragmatism with some exciting innovations and opportunities. We’re confident this partnership will leave a positive legacy for those living and working in East London.” By developing collaborative relationships with Teviot residents and businesses, Hill will deliver a comprehensive and inspiring social value package for the community over the lifetime of the development, including employment and training opportunities, enhancing of community facilities and contributing to existing services. There will also be extensive infrastructure investment to better connect the Teviot Estate to surrounding areas and transport hubs. The vision is to create a safer and more inclusive community and with this in mind, the joint venture will create a Community Chest Fund to give local organisations the opportunity to bid for funding, unlocking socio-economic value. -more- 2/ Andy Hill, Chief Executive at Hill said: “We are proud to be selected to work in partnership with Poplar HARCA and residents to deliver their vision for the regeneration of the Teviot Estate, protecting the close and strong community spirit that currently exists. The residents’ ambitions will be at the heart of the plans, and we will bolster these aspirations with our extensive experience in creating thriving new communities and successful placemaking. The regeneration will boost the local economy by creating a transformed destination for East London and contribute positive social value, bringing pride and vibrancy to the area for existing and future residents.” Poplar HARCA and Hill, in consultation with the Residents Steering Group, will now appoint a master planner with residents in early 2021 and continue consultation with residents, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and other stakeholders to develop the designs. A planning application to the local authority is expected to be finalised in mid-late 2022. The procurement process was supported by employers agent Baily Garner, lawyers Trowers & Hamlins and HACT social value consultants. Andy Tookey, Managing Partner at Bailey Garner said: “Baily Garner were appointed by Poplar HARCA to facilitate and run the tender exercise for selection of the joint venture partner on the Teviot Estate regeneration. We have been involved with the project from the beginning and the tenant ballot on the regeneration option. We did viability modelling, compiled the tender documents and assisted Poplar HARCA in evaluating the tenders over three stages to make the joint venture partner selection.” Trowers partner Amy Shaw added: “We are delighted to have worked with Poplar HARCA over the last 18 months to support them in their search for a JV Partner for Teviot. Trowers has worked with Poplar HARCA from early in the procurement process, advising on process, JV Structure and all corporate, property and construction aspects. We are working with the parties to help bring the scheme forward, delivering homes and improving the lives of residents at the Estate, particularly through Poplar HARCA’s strong commitment to social value, and look forward to seeing the plans that Poplar HARCA, and their selected partner, Hill, bring forward.”
Despite the country being placed into its second national lockdown last month, SO Resi has reported continued strong demand for shared ownership in November. SO Resi, the shared ownership brand for Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, saw enquiries soar by 88% when compared to the same month last year. The housing association received more than 6,600 enquiries, and had its highest sales week of the year in the week commencing 23rd November. In addition, the record-breaking month saw SO Resi deliver 59 completions and 70 exchanges, selling out at four developments in Surrey and Berkshire. The housing association has noted a strong demand for its new homes in the commuter belt, with SO Resi Ware, SO Resi Arborfield and SO Resi Forster Oaks proving to be particularly popular with buyers. Kush Rawal, Director of Residential Investment at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, comments: “We reported record figures at the end of the first lockdown period earlier this year and we have seen this continue right until December. Despite the country enduring another national lockdown, we have seen a strong demand for shared ownership homes, most notably at our developments in the commuter belt. “The lack of affordable mortgages this year has clearly driven the need shared ownership purchase. Despite the immense and unpredictable changes that have happened around us– from the pandemic that has consumed this year, and with Brexit looming, more than ever, there is an unrelenting desire to invest in a home of their home. Shared ownership is making this happen.” SO Resi has also seen a significant uplift for its SO Resi Plus scheme, with a number of customers recently signing up to take advantage. SO Resi Plus was introduced as a pilot in 2014 and allows buyers to staircase by 1% each year at an agreed, fixed price for 15 years, providing they register for the scheme when purchasing the property. Kush adds: “SO Resi Plus has been transformative for our customers, with four times as many customers staircasing each year via this route than those through traditional share purchases of 10% or more. We decided to offer this to our customers as historically, restricting staircasing to larger shares has been a barrier. Following the Government’s announcement earlier this year, we are pleased that the 1% staircasing option will be available on all shared ownership properties going forward, enabling a greater number of buyers to increase shares in their home should they wish to.” To find out more about SO Resi, call 0208 607 0550 or visit www.sharedownership.co.uk
Network Homes is planning to build much needed affordable homes on unused land in Northolt. A total of 149 homes will be built at Dabbs Hill near to Northolt High School with 118 apartments and 31 family sized houses. All will be affordable with 131 homes for shared ownership and 18 for London Affordable Rent. Network completed the purchase of the site on Friday 4 December. The land has been unused for 15 years and it’s planned that the money raised from the sale will go towards supporting the construction of a new building for Northolt High School. The site has excellent transport links being near Northolt tube station with access to Central London and close to shops and supermarkets. The development is the latest investment in the borough of Ealing with the completion of the £100million regeneration of nearby Rectory Park in August and new developments in Southall. David Gooch, Network Homes Executive Director of Development, said: “We’re really pleased to be continuing our significant investment in the borough with exciting plan to develop this unused land into much need affordable homes for local people.” Howarth Contractors Ltd, the contracting arm of Howarth Homes Plc as the main contractor. Ben Searle, Howarth Homes’ Managing Director, said “We have been working on this development, in conjunction with Northolt High School and Network Homes for a number of years, to gain planning for a fully affordable scheme, together with the land payment, which will be contributing to much needed new school facilities. We will be starting on site early in 2021 and look forward to delivering more quality housing in another London borough with Network”