Member Article

Construction begins on £20m affordable homes project in Sunderland

Work has officially begun on the construction of 105 new affordable homes on the College Grange development in North Hylton, Sunderland. Karbon Homes is working with main contractor Esh Construction to bring the development forward on the site of former Sunderland College buildings. Now, after several months of demolition work have been completed, foundations are being laid for new homes. College Grange, designed by IDPartnership architects, will be a mixed tenure development with a blend of different sized family homes and bungalows for older residents. The completed homes will be a mix of Rent to Buy and Affordable Rent properties. Karbon is working with Sunderland City Council and Homes England to bring the £20m North Hylton site to fruition, aiming to develop homes to meet the housing needs of the local community. The architects have responded to the Sunderland City Council brief to create a high quality, distinct neighbourhood which integrates into the surrounding area. The homes will be built using both traditional construction and modern methods, including light gauge steel, making these homes quicker and easier to build than conventional ‘bricks and mortar’ construction. The intention is to create a neighbourhood focused around a linear park running down the centre of the site, including a Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) scheme. The site will be landscaped to a high standard to incorporate opportunities for informal play and recreation. The North Hylton site is expected to play a vital role in providing homes for workers on the new International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) in nearby Washington, close to the giant Nissan factory on the A19. Karbon has worked closely with Portland Consulting Engineers and surveyors Elliott Associates on the North Hylton project. Charlotte Carpenter, executive director for growth and business development at Karbon Homes, said: “This project represents a major commitment from us to providing affordable, high quality homes in the city of Sunderland. “Adding together this project, alongside a further eight sites in our programme, recently completed or on site, and Karbon Homes and its partners are building well over 300 homes in Sunderland. Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Sunderland is not just an attractive place to live, with incredible natural assets, but one that is increasingly being recognised as an emerging exemplar for homes that are built using modern methods of construction by a local workforce, something that delivers maximum advantage for the city and its residents. I’m delighted this scheme adopts innovative construction techniques, again reaffirming our commitment to leading the way with modern housing.
“Building more and better homes is an absolute priority, allowing us to create new communities that will appeal to a range of families. This development will do just that, and we are delighted to be working with Karbon and Esh to realise this aim. It’s one of a number of partnerships that will enable us to build thousands of new homes across the city by 2030.” Gary Dobson, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said: “We are delighted to be delivering the College Grange development to provide high quality affordable housing on behalf of Karbon Homes. This flagship scheme in the heart of Sunderland is a great addition to our portfolio and adds to over £80m of schemes currently live across our affordable housing division.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graeme King .