Deals round-up: July 2023
A round-up of the main development deals involving housing providers, local authorities and the private sector
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Sage Homes
For-profit provider Sage Homes has partnered with house builder Vistry for a new scheme in which the pair will deliver around 800 shared ownership homes across the country.
Sage has signed Vistry as its first partner on the scheme, ‘Home Stepper’, which is a bid to allow house builders to convert more new homes meant for the open market into shared ownership, regardless of their location.
Under the scheme, buyers will acquire their home from Vistry, then Sage will become the landlord and collect rent.
Sage is also in discussions with other house builders about Home Stepper.
Bromford
Housing association Bromford has acquired 91 new homes from house builder Keepmoat, which has started construction on its new housing development, called Park View, at Hawkfield Way on the outskirts of Bristol.
Bromford, which manages more than 45,000 homes, will make 69 of the new homes available for social rent, with the remaining 22 homes for shared ownership.
There will be 74 two, three and four-bedroom houses and 17 one and two-bedroom apartments. Residents will have the use of public open space, access routes and close connectivity with surrounding developments, including Keepmoat’s neighbouring development, Jessop Park.
Construction will take around two years, with the first of the new homes expected to be complete by the end of 2023. Overall completion is expected towards the end of 2024.
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Housing 21
Housing 21, a specialist older people’s housing provider, has acquired 445 properties from Clarion.
The homes are extra-care homes for older people, with the majority for social rent. Meanwhile, seven are for shared ownership. The homes are distributed across 11 schemes in London, East Anglia and the South East.
The London schemes include Windmill Court in Chingford, which features 44 one and two-bedroom apartments, and Duncan Court in Poplar, east London, which offers 40 one-bedroom apartments. Meanwhile, in Norwich, Redmayne View provides 40 one-bedroom apartments.
Clarion decided to sell the homes to move away from extra care, while Housing 21 said the deal would enable it to “reach a wider demographic and provide high-quality care to more older people”.
Karbon Homes
Karbon Homes has completed a stock transfer of 439 homes from South Tyneside Housing Ventures Trust, which provides affordable rented housing, as well as homes for people over 55 and people living with disabilities.
The transfer will see Karbon provide all maintenance, repairs and housing-related services to customers.
The 29,000-home social landlord said it received overwhelming support for the stock transfer in a consultation with customers and stakeholders.
L&Q
L&Q and partners at London South East College (LSEC) have started construction work on a scheme in Greenwich, south London, which will deliver 294 homes and a new college campus.
More than half of the homes will be affordable, with a mix of shared ownership and London affordable rent.
The scheme was originally permitted in 2021 and is situated next to the existing Plumstead College building in Greenwich. The aim is for the new development to be completed in spring 2026.
The first residents will be moving in the year before, and the first homes to become available will be a mixture of outright sales and shared ownership. Meanwhile, LSEC expects to open the new campus building in 2025.
Hounslow Council
Hounslow Council has completed a new development at Frank Towell Court, which will provide 102 new council-rented homes in Feltham, west London.
The three-year project, in partnership with Willmott Dixon, combines a mixture of apartments, houses and maisonettes with a range of one, two and three bedrooms.
The project also focused on improvements to the entire estate, with new pathways, gardens, access to green space and a new play park for children.
Great Places Housing Group
Great Places Housing Group has started work on the final phase of the Foxhall Village West site in Blackpool, which will deliver 88 new homes.
The project is delivered in partnership with Blackpool Council and is part funded by Homes England. Work has been ongoing at Foxhall Village since the original masterplan for a new neighbourhood was prepared in 2012.
On the final West site phase, Blackpool Council and Great Places have worked in partnership to enable the completion of the remaining residential phase of Foxhall Village West after the original developers went into administration in 2019.
New site plans were developed to deliver a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes for affordable rent. The project has been designed by Cassidy + Ashton and is being constructed by Tyson Construction.
Work is due to be completed in August 2025, with the first handovers expected from late 2024.
Fife Housing Group
Tenants have started moving into Fife Housing Group’s new development of 49 energy-efficient affordable homes in the Glen Albyn area of Kirkcaldy, Scotland.
Delivered in partnership with The JR Group, the project in Fife comprises a selection of two, three and four-bedroom houses, as well as several wheelchair-accessible bungalows.
Wakefield and District Housing
Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) has started work on a development off Swinston Hill Road in Dinnington that will provide 46 new homes, which the social housing provider will manage.
Twenty-six will be available for affordable rent and 20 for shared ownership. The scheme is part funded by a grant from WDH’s strategic partnership with Homes England.
The development is expected to complete in winter 2024, with new residents moving in soon after.
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