First homes open at Seaham Garden Village

A County Durham affordable housing development is beginning to take shape as the first homes have been completed and opened to the public.

Karbon Homes has welcomed its first visitors to Seaham Garden Village following the completion of 11 affordable homes and the opening of two show homes. 

Built by Bowburn-headquartered Esh Construction, the homes mark the first completions at the large-scale development on the edge of Seaham.

The show homes showcase Karbon’s three-bedroom house types and provide an early look at the homes planned for future phases. 

The initial properties form part of Karbon’s commitment to deliver 750 affordable homes at the site, accounting for half of the 1500 homes planned over the next decade.

A further 60 homes are due to complete over the next twelve months, with later phases delivering a mix of family housing and apartments. 

The homes will be available through social rent, affordable rent and affordable home ownership schemes, including Rent to Buy and Shared Ownership.

Jill Jones, head of sales, lettings and customer care at Karbon Living, said: “Handing over the first homes to residents and opening our show homes marks an important step in the development of Seaham Garden Village. 

“Our offer of affordable housing options makes this new garden village a truly inclusive community that meets the diverse housing needs of local people. 

“Our show homes are open so that residents attracted to living in Seaham Garden Village can come see, feel and imagine living in one of our homes, and have an opportunity to meet the team and ask questions. 

“It’s an exciting start to what will be a busy next few years, as more and more phases of new homes in the village come to fruition.” 

Beyond housing, the village will include a new primary school, convenience retail and health and wellbeing facilities, alongside landscaped walking and cycling routes. 

The development, which is being supported by funding from Homes England, the Government’s housing delivery agency, will also connect to one of the UK’s first large-scale mine water heat projects, an initiative led by Durham County Council and the Mining Remediation Authority and being delivered by Vital Energi. 

Construction will be completed in the new year, when the first homes will be connected to the system. 

Mark Binns, operations director at Esh Construction, added: “We’re proud to reach this major milestone at Seaham Garden Village. 

“Opening the show homes at this juncture is the result of a huge collective effort from everyone involved since breaking ground, and it’s fantastic to see the vision for this new community starting to take shape. 

“Our close collaboration with Karbon Homes has been central to delivering high-quality, sustainable homes that will benefit local people for generations to come. 

“It’s brilliant to now be able to open the doors and show the local community exactly what’s being built on their doorstep – homes that are not only affordable, but part of a vibrant, inclusive neighbourhood.” 

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