Member Article

Milestone for £350 million housing project

An ambitious, £350 million programme, designed to transform the quality and choice of housing in the North East, has reached another milestone with the completion of the show homes on its fourth development.

And senior representatives from the Gateshead Regeneration Partnership (GRP) – the joint venture driving the initiative – visited the properties at The Aspens in Birtley.

GRP was established by Gateshead Council, Galliford Try and Home Group to regenerate 19 sites across the borough, delivering over 2,400 new homes for private sale and affordable tenures - with around a quarter for rent or shared ownership.

Work began at The Sycamores, adjacent to The Aspens, in 2014 and another site in Saltwell Road (Trilogy I) is underway with a fourth, smaller development - in Deckham - completed.

After visiting the four bedroomed show homes – The Hickory and Beech - and The Hemlock view home, Paul Dowling, Gateshead Council’s Strategic Director for Communities and Environment said: “We forged this partnership to increase the number of new family homes across the borough that were affordable, sustainable and spacious. This scheme at The Aspens is a great example of the outstanding new homes now available in Gateshead.”

Brian Ham, Home Group Executive Director of Development, added: “We’re delighted that another significant milestone has been achieved in the Gateshead Regeneration Partnership. This £350m project is clearly demonstrating that joint venture working can bring benefits to all partners and provide the homes of all tenures which are so desperately needed.”

Stuart Gibbons, Divisional Managing Director with Galliford Try, commented: “Our goal is to work with partners across the region to provide high quality homes that meet the need for housing in all sections of the community and I am delighted with what has already been achieved in Gateshead.”

The project, which will provide jobs and training for local people and create artwork and new public spaces, is designed to help promote sustainable and long lasting communities across the borough. Galliford Try is constructing the homes and its housebuilding division – Linden Homes – is marketing the properties for sale.

All GRP homes are built to high space and design standards and achieve, as a minimum, level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. They also meet Lifetime Homes and Secure by Design standards.

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