£25m County Durham residential development set to deliver over 100 new affordable homes

The development of 104 new affordable homes in Pelton is taking shape as Karbon Homes names Esh Construction as its construction partner for the £25m project. 

The new homes, which will be built on the site of the former Roseberry Sports Community College in the village, to the north of Chester-le-Street, have been hailed as a welcome boost for local housing stock and work is expected to get underway in the coming weeks.

The development will include 52 rent-to-buy properties, a mix of two and three bed family homes aimed at people looking to take the first steps on the property ladder, alongside 31 apartments and eight bungalows for over 50s.

Zoey Hawthorne, Assistant Director of Development Delivery at Karbon Homes, commented: “We’re delighted to announce Esh Construction as the lead contractor for this development, helping us deliver much-needed affordable housing to the site with a broad range of house types and tenures that meet the diverse needs of the local community.

“We have a long-established working relationship with the team at Esh, who have supported us on a number of new home developments over the last few years, and we look forward to work getting underway in the coming months." 

As part of Karbon’s commitment to carbon reduction, the new homes have been designed to meet the highest energy efficiency standards. They will be built using timber frame construction, a method that reduces energy use and waste and can cut the time taken to deliver a development by 25 per cent or more. 

The houses and bungalows will all achieve an energy performance certificate rating of A, will be fitted with solar PV panels and electric charging points and will be powered by air source heat pumps. The apartments will also benefit from a communal green heating system, with heating and hot water provided by an exhaust air source heat pump. 

Chris Hale, Esh’s Pre-Construction Director, added: “This is a significant contract award for our affordable housing division, and we’re delighted to build on our successful working relationship by securing another scheme with Karbon Homes.

“More than 70 properties will be built utilising timber frame, providing additional environmental efficiencies throughout the build process. We look forward to getting work underway and delivering more environmentally-friendly new build affordable homes across the North East.” 

The development will be part-funded through Karbon’s £165m strategic partnership with Homes England, to develop 2,200 much-needed affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire by 2028.

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