Member Article

New HQ for growing developer

After a nomadic year, developer Galliford Try has found a new home at Newcastle’s Great Park.

Newcastle City Council Chief Executive, Pat Ritchie, formerly with the Homes and Communities Agency with which Galliford Try works, carried out the official opening ceremony at Esh Plaza in Sir Bobby Robson Way.

She said: “What this marks is a strong commitment from Galliford Try to the North East and the new offices at Great Park support our aspiration for both housing and economic development in this part of the city.

“In my previous role as the Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, I worked with Galliford Try on a number of schemes and found them to be an innovative partner who developed some interesting approaches to using land, structuring contracts and successful partnership working.

“Housing is a really important part of growing the economy in Newcastle and the region and projects like the award winning Sinclair Meadows and the planned regeneration in Gateshead will all contribute to this. I wish them every success in their new premises.”

Just eight months ago the company moved from its former North East headquarters in Ponteland – a site which it may redevelop as housing - to a temporary home in South Gosforth, to await the completion of construction at the brand new Great Park site.

Stephen McCoy, Managing Director with Galliford Try Partnerships North, said: “It has been a challenging year in terms of making two office moves but a good one in terms of generating new work and delivering award winning developments for clients. The business will turn over around £30 million over the next year – twice as much as it did in 2012/13, with some exciting schemes on the horizon.”

Galliford Try is currently developing a new health centre at Chapel Park in Newcastle, an extra care facility in Lanchester and affordable housing projects for registered housing providers in Sacriston, Newton Aycliffe and Blyth.

The recently completed Sinclair Meadows development in South Shields, constructed on behalf of Four Housing Group, is the first carbon negative social housing development in the UK and has already won the Most Innovative Renewable Technology category and been a finalist in both the Innovative Contractor and Affordable Housing categories at the 2013 Housing Innovation Awards. It was also short listed in the Construction category of the 2013 Sustain Magazine Awards.

Future projects include a partnership with Gateshead Council and the Home Group which will invest around £350m to regenerate 19 separate sites around the borough, delivering over 2,400 new homes for private sale and affordable tenures, along with community facilities and public spaces which will help to promote sustainable and long lasting communities.

Construction on the first three of these, at Birtley Northside, Saltwell Road West and Avon Street in Deckham could be underway before the end of the year. Before a brick has been laid this initiative secured an award as the Best Public/Private Partnership in the Local Government Chronicle Awards in 2013.

An agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency for a restoration and new build housing development at the former St. George’s hospital is also approaching completion. This, like the company’s developments in Howden Green, County Durham and Haltwhistle in Northumberland, is under the company’s house building division – Linden Homes.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .