Ireland Premier Construction

Killaire Wood

Killaire Wood
Written by Roma Publications

Killaire Wood

A social housing project that when finished will see the construction of 106 new homes is nearing completion. Killaire Wood, located on the Old Belfast Road, Bangor, Northern Ireland, is being transformed into a brand new community by EHA Group on behalf of Choice Housing.

The construction of the stylish two and three storey homes began in April 2016 alongside the construction of the relevant infrastructure including roads, signage and a large amount of landscaping. The handover of the homes is taking place across 5 phases. The first phase took place in early 2017 with 11 families able to enjoy new accommodation. A total of 44 homes were handed over in time for Christmas 2017 as part of Phase 2 and 3. Phases 4 and 5 will bring the project to a close in the coming weeks.

The success of the project so far is a testament to the work of EHA Group Contract Manager Robin McClure and his site team. Overcoming a number of environmental challenges posed by the site, Killaire Wood has progressed at a rapid rate and will create a hugely positive impact on the lives of many families. Robin commented:

“There have been a few challenges on the project. There are wetlands and water courses on the perimeters of the site that had to be maintained to avoid environmental problems. Existing trees on the site had to be maintained and protected for the duration of the build. Also, on the border of the site we have our old friend Japanese Knotweed that had to have an exclusion zone introduced to prevent cross contamination. On the other side of the site there is a council graveyard that obviously comes with its own sensitivities.

“For us this project brings great satisfaction and honour. We’re able to take a green field site, work and develop it before handing over to the user. We can see a community building up and because it’s a staged handover you actually see the communities develop as you go on. I know that there is a level of stigma attached to social housing, but I have been doing this for a long time and you can see the pride tenants have when they move into a property. You see them looking after their home and see a nice little community develop.

“We handed over approximately 44 units just before Christmas so that’s 44 families with new houses just before Christmas. They were able to enjoy that with their families and there’s a satisfaction in that.”

To find out more about the project, please visit ehagroup.co.uk/project/bangor.

Killaire Wood

 

 

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