Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs
Housebuilder Harron Homes have officially joined Homes England’s Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency and one of the largest vendors of residential land. Harron Homes will be joining 65 other developers, suppliers and housing associations in the new £20bn DPS. The Delivery
The UK’s largest self and custom build development site, Graven Hill, recently hosted Homes England, showcasing what the site has to offer to prospective self and custom builders. Homes England, an executive non-departmental government body, is sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It works closely with
Work to build an entirely affordable development and repair a local landmark in Bridgwater is now underway. Leading housing provider Stonewater, in partnership with regeneration specialist Vistry Partnerships and supported by Macegreen Consulting and Sedgemoor District Council, is constructing 80 new homes on land owned by Homes England. To support
Leading construction, property and management consultancy, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB UK Ltd) has been awarded a place on The Guinness Partnership’s new Employer’s Agent Services Framework. RLB will offer Employer’s Agent services and Clerk of Works across the framework’s three regional lots: North; South, London and South East; South West.
Stewart Milne Homes has secured an additional £13million from Homes England to accelerate the delivery of new homes across a number of its developments in North West England. This funding announcement, which follows on from a 2018 award of £11.5million, brings the total number of new homes to be delivered
Set to enter the UK market is Japan’s largest homebuilder – Sekisui House -, which has already formed a partnership with Homes England and Urban Splash. “Sekisui House bring with them a proven track record in harnessing the modern methods of construction that are transforming home building. Backed by Government
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs before voting unanimously in favour. The ambitious design will allow the school to generate its own renewable energy on site without using any fossil fuels. It aims to be the first school in West Sussex to achieve Passivhaus certification, the highest standard of energy efficiency a building can reach, and offer excellent educational facilities to 900 local children. The school will be created at Homes England’s new Brookleigh development near Burgess Hill to provide a high-quality education to families of the 3,500 homes and the surrounding area. “Planning approval marks a major milestone in our ambition to create an environmentally-friendly and high-quality new secondary school in Mid Sussex. It is uniquely designed to achieve Passivhaus certification and lead the way in energy efficiency. In addition, Brookleigh families will be able to walk or cycle to their new place of education, again demonstrating the County Council’s commitment to significantly reducing carbon emissions as part of our Climate Change Strategy. By creating this modern and high standard school, we are investing in our children’s future and in the long-term future of our county,” said Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills. West Sussex County Council has approved capital funding of £57.060m to build the secondary school, making it the largest capital project the council has delivered. This includes a £18.159m contribution from Homes England as part of the overall development. The new secondary school is being delivered through the County Council’s multi-disciplinary consultancy partnership with Faithful+Gould, with Atkins and Cundalls leading on the design. The school will include a Special Support Centre enabling children with special educational needs and disabilities to be supported to learn in a mainstream school. Net-zero in operation, the building has energy efficiency at the heart of every area of its design. Its position will provide maximum sunlight to nearly 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels generating an estimated 296,000 kWh of energy a year. The LED lighting will be controlled automatically by daylight and movement detection. The main building will have fresh air ventilation, keeping the school a comfortable temperature, even in extreme heat. “This is a really positive step forward for the proposed school which has been designed to promote well-being and educational attainment for all learners who use the building and create a project with a low environmental impact,” concluded Richard Christmas, lead designer at Atkins. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Housebuilder Harron Homes have officially joined Homes England’s Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Homes England is the Government’s housing delivery agency and one of the largest vendors of residential land. Harron Homes will be joining 65 other developers, suppliers and housing associations in the new £20bn DPS. The Delivery Partner DPS is one of Homes England’s main routes for land distribution and it gives house builders such as Harron Homes the ability to bid for these sites. Other public bodies may also use the DPS to procure developers, broadening housebuilders exposure to potential projects. It also allows for potential new members to join at any time – in contrast to the previous framework which renewed every four years. Nick Hague, Land Director at Harron Homes, said “After a rigorous application process, we are delighted that Homes England have accepted us onto its exciting new DPS system. “Being accepted enables us to work dynamically in identifying and procuring residential land. We are already planning on how to take maximum advantage of a framework that unlocks opportunities to be involved with projects which may have previously not come to our attention. “The new framework means benefits are passed onto both landowners and home buyers, new homes can be built quicker”. To find out more about current Harron Homes developments and the homes currently available, visit https://www.harronhomes.com/find-a-home/ or call the sales team on 01777 553390.
The UK’s largest self and custom build development site, Graven Hill, recently hosted Homes England, showcasing what the site has to offer to prospective self and custom builders. Homes England, an executive non-departmental government body, is sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It works closely with stakeholders across the housing sector to help provide the homes England needs, improve neighbourhoods and grow communities. Making self-building more accessible has always been the goal for Graven Hill, with the site seeing the potential that self and custom building has for tackling the UK’s housing crisis, a sentiment shared by Homes England. The visit included a tour of the Graven Hill site, allowing the Homes England team to see first-hand the range of houses available, from self-builds to custom new build homes and apartments. They were also able to watch the delivery of an off-site manufactured home, a popular construction method for many of the development’s self-builders. Homes England was also shown around one of the completed self-builds on site, which won ‘Best Brick Home’ at the Build It Awards in 2021. While self-building isn’t for everyone, that doesn’t mean that people can’t live in a vibrant community packed with personality. Graven Hill’s custom build homes enable people to customise the internal layout and fixtures when purchased early on, without having to commit to a self-build project. Gemma Davis, customer experience director at Graven Hill said: “From the start, we’ve been passionate about providing people with homes that work perfectly for them. It was brilliant to show Homes England the progress we’ve made, and the variety of houses we have available. Putting choice at the core of the development has created a truly unique community, one that we hope will inspire others. “Much of Europe has already embraced self and custom building as a route to home ownership, recognising the benefits that it holds when it comes to meeting people’s individual needs. It’s time that the UK caught up.” Will German, home ownership director at Homes England said: “Being able to see the diversity of homes at Graven Hill was inspiring. The development shows the wide range of possibilities for housing in the UK, when the needs of the buyer are put first. We believe that self and custom building will become an important part of the housing market in future, so we must continue to strive to make it an accessible option.” For more information on the plots and homes available, get in contact with the Graven Hill team.
Work to build an entirely affordable development and repair a local landmark in Bridgwater is now underway. Leading housing provider Stonewater, in partnership with regeneration specialist Vistry Partnerships and supported by Macegreen Consulting and Sedgemoor District Council, is constructing 80 new homes on land owned by Homes England. To support housing need in Bridgwater, all the homes will be available for affordable rent, with the completed development set to comprise a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, as well as one and two-bedroom apartments. As part of the development, Vistry is contributing £20,000 towards the refurbishment of the Willow Man statue, which is located adjacent to the scheme, and will be providing a landscaped play area for residents. Alongside the remedial works, Stonewater will also be creating a nature trail, incorporating public art, leading up to the statue’s viewing platform. To support its sustainability commitments, Stonewater will also be planting a variety of fruit and native trees around the completed development and providing herb planters so residents can cultivate and grow their own produce. All the homes will be built with a ‘fabric first’ approach, using high performing materials and adapting the principles of air tightness and ventilation, minimising each home’s energy consumption. The use of low-carbon and energy-efficient technology will be extended across the site to include the installation of air source heat pumps, solar panels and five electric car charging points. Matt Crucefix, Director of Development (South and West) at Stonewater, said: “We have developed a successful partnership, over the years, providing much-needed new homes with Vistry Partnerships and Sedgemoor District Council. “As one of the largest Homes England strategic partners alongside Guinness Partnership, we’re thrilled to be playing our part in delivering high-quality and energy efficient affordable homes that meet the needs of local people living in Bridgwater.” Barry Cummins, National Development Director at Homes England, said: “This marks a significant step forward in Stonewater’s efforts to bring 80 new, affordable and energy-efficient homes to Bridgwater. Partnerships have been vital to this development, and it’s a great example of what can be achieved by working together.” Marc Thompson, Managing Director of Vistry Partnerships West, said: “This 100% affordable housing scheme is exactly what partnership working is all about – working with Stonewater and Homes England we’ve been able to unlock a new site that will provide high-quality, energy efficient and affordable homes for local people.” A spokesman for Sedgemoor District Council said: “This is major investment commitment into new homes, new jobs and money into the local economy during a period of severe financial challenges and uncertainties. We are very happy to work with our partners to bring new affordable homes to Sedgemoor.”
Leading construction, property and management consultancy, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB UK Ltd) has been awarded a place on The Guinness Partnership’s new Employer’s Agent Services Framework. RLB will offer Employer’s Agent services and Clerk of Works across the framework’s three regional lots: North; South, London and South East; South West. A strategic partner of both Homes England and the Greater London Authority, The Guinness Partnership provides social housing within 125 local authorities across England. The new Employer’s Agent Services Framework, is set to run for four years and will support the delivery of a significant programme of new build schemes. Commenting on RLB’s appointment, Kat Hurworth for The Guinness Partnership said: “We look forward to working with RLB, alongside our other newly appointed consultants.” Richard Quarry, Framework Lead and Partner – Head of Affordable Housing – at RLB UK said: “Supporting The Guinness Partnership and its progressive build programme through this new framework is a brilliant appointment for the RLB team. Being awarded a place on each regional lot demonstrates our expertise in affordable housing across our UK network of offices. We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with this fantastic housing association which has its customers at the heart of building safe, high quality and well-designed homes.”
Stewart Milne Homes has secured an additional £13million from Homes England to accelerate the delivery of new homes across a number of its developments in North West England. This funding announcement, which follows on from a 2018 award of £11.5million, brings the total number of new homes to be delivered by this ongoing partnership to almost 1,000, boosting the economy, adding to community infrastructure and supporting the creation of new jobs. The funding will support the Scottish independent, award-wining housebuilder in delivering the new homes across eight developments in Alsager, Broughton, Chester, Congleton, Hooton, Prescot, Warton and Willaston. These developments, which will create desirable communities with a balanced mix of family homes, around 30% of which will be affordable, will help meet the country’s housing shortfall. The developments are at various stages, with Callenders Green in Prescot due to complete this month and Broughton Park due to commence in the next few weeks. Working in partnership with Homes England, Stewart Milne Homes secured the loan from the £3billion Home Building Fund which aims to increase the number of new homes being built across the country with a target of delivering 300,000 new homes per annum. Paul Challinor, managing director of Stewart Milne Homes North West England, believes the fund, which was already helping to address the country’s long-term housing challenge pre-COVID, is more important than ever as the country embarks on the road to recovery following lockdown. He said: “The construction industry can play a major role in getting the economy back on its feet after lockdown. It’s crucial in terms of supporting jobs and the supply chain as well as closing the gap between supply and demand for homes. “As we emerge from lockdown, private, independent developers, like ourselves, will find it even more challenging to make the up-front investment required to close that gap. “The Homes England funding enables us to accelerate the delivery of outstanding new communities for local residents and help the UK Government meet its housing targets. “Securing the funds is testament to the strong relationship we’ve built with Homes England over a number of years, demonstrates the confidence they place in us to deliver and underlines our commitment to investing in the North West.” Terry Errington, head of structured real estate finance, Homes England, said: “Our relationship with Stewart Milne Group continues to strengthen and we are pleased to advance additional loan funding to deliver much needed open market and affordable homes across the region. We are supportive of building capacity and productivity in the construction sector, and Stewart Milne Group’s off site manufacturing model is a key element of this focus.”. Stewart Milne Homes North West, a division of Stewart Milne Group, was established in 2006. Since then it has been on a steep upward growth trajectory. This exceptional growth, along with its high levels of customer service, has been recognised by several awards, most recently three winners in the NHBC Pride in the Job awards for construction quality on site. Mr Challinor added: “Having experienced rapid growth in the North West in recent years, we have become a recognised brand in the region with a reputation for delivering quality, family homes in desirable new communities with a focus on craftsmanship and very high design specifications. “We will continue to invest in the region through our strategy of acquisition of sites in prime residential locations, to create communities where demand is strongest for our new mix of family homes.”
Set to enter the UK market is Japan’s largest homebuilder – Sekisui House -, which has already formed a partnership with Homes England and Urban Splash. “Sekisui House bring with them a proven track record in harnessing the modern methods of construction that are transforming home building. Backed by Government investment, today’s announcement will support our urgent mission to deliver more, better and faster home construction to ensure a new generation can realise the dream of home ownership,” said Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing. The homebuilder will be investing £90 million out of which £55 million will go into regeneration company Urban Splash’s ‘House’ development business. This provides a significant boost to the UK’s modular housing industry and will help to speed up production of much needed new homes. “We are extremely pleased to be able to work together with Homes England and Urban Splash to establish our operations and help to create outstanding communities in the UK. Using modern methods of construction to build high quality homes with short build times is one of our company’s great strengths. Our technology and know-how can help resolve pressing social issues in the UK, and I want to see us play our part effective immediately. These operations can also help bring vitality to UK regions, and we will work to make the strongest connections with the local communities,” added Yoshihiro Nakai, President and Representative Director of Sekisui House Ltd.
