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
The recipient of the Stewart Milne Group Access Scholarship at Robert Gordon University has hailed its success. Stephen Collins, now in his second year of the BSc Construction Management course at RGU’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and the Built Environment, was awarded the scholarship worth £8,000 in 2019. Prior
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
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.”
The recipient of the Stewart Milne Group Access Scholarship at Robert Gordon University has hailed its success. Stephen Collins, now in his second year of the BSc Construction Management course at RGU’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and the Built Environment, was awarded the scholarship worth £8,000 in 2019. Prior to being awarded the scholarship Stephen held down two jobs in an effort to fund his further study. He said: “The scholarship has aided me hugely as it helps me to focus on my work without financial worries. I can only imagine it will help me out significantly in the future. I am extremely grateful for the support.” As well supporting Stephen financially, the scholarship offers a 15-week placement within Stewart Milne Homes to gain relevant skills and industry experience which will enhance his employability within construction. Although Covid-19 caused the demobilisation of construction across the UK, this has not affected Stewart Milne Group’s commitment to funding programmes like the Access Scholarship. Stephen’s placement with Stewart Milne Homes is due to begin in 2021 and will be carried out in line with government guidance on construction work at that time. Sarah Dingwall, development manager at the RGU Foundation said “RGU is committed to widening access to higher education. The scholarship scheme supports this aim, enabling students from backgrounds typically under-represented at university to reach their full potential, through a package of financial and dedicated pastoral support. “RGU’s access scholarships raise aspirations and create opportunity for students who may otherwise face barriers. We are extremely grateful to Stewart Milne Group for their support”. Stewart Milne Group is committed to attracting young people into construction to build a sustainable future workforce for the sector. As well as being one of the first companies to support the RGU Access scholarship, Stewart Milne Group runs fast-track, trade and graduate apprenticeship programmes. There are currently 39 apprentices across the Stewart Milne divisions, accounting for almost 5% of the workforce, in a variety of trades such as joinery, plumbing and quantity surveying. Stuart McGregor, CEO of Stewart Milne Group said: “Attracting, developing and retaining the best talent is key to our success and our future growth. Our commitment to and support for these different routes into construction help address the skills gap in our sector and promote the attractive opportunities and diverse career paths in construction. “Programmes such as the Stewart Milne Access Scholarship allow anyone to pursue a career in construction, regardless of their background, through financial support, encouragement and practical experience. We wish Stephen the best of luck with his continued study and look forward to his placement within Stewart Milne Homes.”
