Two Castles Housing Association has started work to deliver new affordable homes for those living in the greatest housing need in Whitehaven.
Built in partnership with developers Kells Development Group with support from Copeland Borough Council, Two Castles will deliver 16 high quality affordable homes to rent for local people with a connection to the town and its surrounding area.
The development, which forms part of Kells Development Group’s overall transformation of the Old White School site into a mixed tenure housing development on South Row, will be called Halloways Grove and is expected to be completed by August 2013.
Rob Brittain, property services director at Two Castles Housing Association, said:
“We’re pleased that construction work is now underway to deliver an important new affordable housing scheme in Whitehaven. There continues to be a real demand for quality housing to rent in the area and we are committed to working with our partners to deliver a range of high quality affordable homes that meet the needs of local people and their families.
“This scheme will benefit those in the greatest housing need and will also form part of the overall transformation of the Old White School site bringing it back into community life.”
Built to Level Three of the Code for Sustainable Homes, each property meets the Homes and Communities Agency design standards (HCA) and will be highly insulated with photovoltaic panels installed to help to make each individual home even more affordable by reducing overall energy bills for tenants.
Graeme Morton at Kells Development Group, said: “Working with Two Castles to deliver 16 affordable homes is a key aspect to the overall development of the former White School site. These homes complete the preferred mix of house types which consist of low cost for rent, market homes for sale, and the more exclusive larger 4/5 bed detached which are predominantly self-builds of Kells residents. All are built to high standards in energy efficiency and sustainability.
“To retain close links to the area’s mining heritage, the estate consists of three roads all named after underground mining drifts and coal faces at the nearby Haig Colliery: these are ‘Colliers Way’, ‘Jollows Close’ and ‘Halloways Grove’.
“The scheme is the result of many years work by local residents to develop the site with an objective to benefit the Kells community by providing high specification homes. The scheme also has the added bonus that all works are carried out using local labour, which brings further financial benefit to the local economy.”
Councillor George Clements, portfolio holder for housing and planning, said “We are delighted that Two Castles and Kells Development Group are undertaking this development in Whitehaven.
“We are proud to have facilitated the project by specifying the need for part of the site to be dedicated to affordable homes when we sold it to Kells Development Group and this was reflected in the value of the site. We have a big job to do to tackle homelessness and the need for affordable housing and this is a great step forward.”
