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New homes will refresh South Durham housing stock

Construction and development specialist Southdale has started work on two projects which will create 24 new bungalows in South Durham for homes and communities organisation livin.

The developments, in Ferryhill and Spennymoor, are part of a £5m investment programme by livin to modernise its housing stock to provide homes for its elderly tenants, This follows consultation which showed decreasing demand for traditional sheltered housing schemes and the re development of existing schemes to make way for more sustainable homes.

The highly sustainable homes will reduce the residents’ energy costs by up to a quarter.

At Cleve’s Cross, in Ferryhill, Southdale is building 12 two-bedroom bungalows, with a further 12 being developed at Grayson Grange, Spennymoor. The homes are all expected to be completed in the summer of 2014.

The Cleve’s Cross project is a £1.2 million project, with the Grayson Grange scheme a £1.3 million contract.

Across the two sites, Southdale expects to create and sustaining local apprenticeships in numerous trades as part of the livin futures employability programme.

Trudie McCormick, Southdale’s Regional Director for the North East, said: “These homes will help to revitalise housing on these two sites in Ferryhill and Spennymoor, ensuring the housing stock there meets the needs of existing residents. We are very happy to be working with livin on these projects, continuing the development of a growing relationship which is helping Southdale to build its presence in the North East.”

Ian Brown, head of development and allocations for livin, said: “The new bungalows will offer elderly tenants modern spacious homes that are affordable to run and easy to look after. We’re already experiencing lots of inquiries about the homes and expect to see a high demand for the properties.”

The homes will be let through the Durham Key Options choice based lettings scheme for more information contact livin’s home choice team.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .