Member Article

Major deal for affordable housing specialist

Within four months of joining the Fastflow Group, County Durham based housebuilder, Partner, has secured a major new contract for a leading housing provider.

The deal, with Midland Heart Housing Association, involves the development of 95 homes on a six acre former council depot site, close to the centre of Nuneaton.

The £14.5 million project commenced this week (August 13th) with the demolition of the old buildings. The development will comprise 52 homes for affordable rent and 43 for shared ownership and construction is expected to take just under three years.

Leigh Cresswell, Managing Director of Partner Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Midland Heart once again on what is the largest single contract we have delivered for the association.

“True to our name, our mission is to partner with Midland Heart and the wider UK affordable housing sector to support the growing need for quality housing for all. We look forward to creating modern, comfortable homes for people to enjoy.”

Based in Spennymoor and with an office in Derby, Partner Group works mainly with registered social housing providers, creating desirable, sustainable communities in which people are proud to live. The company has an A1 rating from both the NHBC and Premier Guarantee and has completed over 2,000 new houses on 82 sites across the UK.

In March, it was acquired by utilities and property services specialist, the Fastflow Group, which has an annual turnover of around £120 million.

With its headquarters in Washington, Fastflow also operates from bases in Warrington, and Thame in Oxfordshire, providing infrastructure maintenance and improvement services to Northumbrian Water and Scottish Water, a wide range of high pressure gas transmission engineering projects for clients such as National Grid and Cadent Gas and planned and responsive repairs for housing associations owning around 250,000 homes across the UK.

Partner Group is supporting Midland Heart - founded in 1925 – in achieving its charitable aims of maintaining affordable homes in challenging areas of the Midlands. It owns and manages 33,000 properties enjoyed by 70,000 customers.

Joe Reeves, Executive Director of Growth and Corporate Affairs, Midland Heart, said: “There is much need for new affordable housing in Nuneaton with demand outstripping supply. This is a significant development, providing homes at affordable rent or for shared ownership, giving first time buyers a chance to step on to the property ladder.”

Midland Heart and Partner Group are also working together at Bagworth, Leicester and are looking to develop further opportunities for affordable housing.

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