'Affordable' homes now available in Newcastle following £2m development

New residents have been moving into new ‘affordable’ homes in the west of Newcastle.

The £2m development of 18 homes on Springfield Road in Blakelaw, Newcastle was delivered by a partnership of Karbon Homes, Newcastle City Council and Homes England.

It is part of a substantial programme of new homes being delivered by the growing landlord over the next four years.

The scheme, which is located within reach of Newcastle’s city centre and the A1, features 10 one and two-bedroom bungalows for older residents and eight two-bedroom flats to suit local housing needs.

Tommy and Jean Bell have moved to a bungalow from the family home on the West Road, where they lived for 59 years and raised all six of their children. They now have 11 grandchildren.

Tommy said: “We love the bungalow. It’s beautiful. The walk in shower is really good, and everything being on the flat.

“I had trouble doing a lot of things in the old house, as there were a lot of stairs, and we only had a shower over the bath. We couldn’t carry on there.”

Eleanor Gregory, 65, has moved into one of the other bungalows. She said: “I’m so excited because it’s a new build, so there’s no heavy decorating to be done, and it’s nice to have the flooring down in the kitchen and bathroom.

“I have a network of family and friends nearby, I like the area - and I like the look of the new homes.”

Mrs Gregory said she already knew some of the residents moving into the other flats and bungalows at Sheriff Gardens, so there was a definite sense of community straight away.

Karbon Homes has worked closely with Newcastle City Council to bring these new homes forward, having previously delivered 10 phases of affordable homes in Newbiggin Hall.

Additionally, Karbon Homes has recently completed three supported housing developments worth £5m, with 50 homes on three sites across the city, and has just completed a development of 12 new homes in nearby Kenton.

The main contractor for the site was NB Clark of Morpeth and construction was completed in just 12 months.

The development was designed by Newcastle-based architects JDDK - the site is just a short walk from the company’s office headquarters.

Homes England contributed a grant of £400k towards the £2m cost of the development.

Vince Walsh, development manager for Karbon, who led the development work, added: “We’re pleased to have worked with Newcastle City Council again on this scheme, continuing our successful partnership of delivering affordable housing across the city.”

The development at Sheriff Leas is just one small part of Karbon Homes’ development programme across the North East, which will see 2,400 homes delivered over four years.

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