Premier Construction

Coastline Housing

Coastline Housing
Written by Roma Publications

Coastline Housing – Commending impressive new housing

Coastline Housing

A new two phase development of 49 affordable and shared ownership housing, which has been commended both by new residents and the client, is nearing completion on schedule in North Country, Redruth, in a joint venture project for Coastline Housing and Galliford Try.

The scheme is being delivered in two phases, with the first phase of 27 properties completed on schedule in March 2016. The second phase, comprising the remaining properties, is due for completion in May 2016 and is well advanced, with all of the properties already having been fitted and internally boarded.

37 of the homes are for affordable rent and 12 for shared ownership.

The development has been constructed on a greenfield site, where initial site works included ground levelling. Galliford Try site manager Phil Kitchener said: “The area is noted for Cornish tin mining, so each building plot had to be assessed by digging down to establish that there were no mines beneath. Fortunately we did not find any.”

The scheme includes a mix of timber framed one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, including one bedroom flats, and one bedroom bungalows. Five of the bungalows are of standard design, with an additional bungalow being built to comply with disability regulations requirements. A further bungalow has been built to meet the needs of a particular disabled tenant and designed to a specification including extra wide internal access, a specially adapted kitchen, extra wide external walkways and a fully paved garden area.

Phil Kitchener continued: “A typical interior of one of the houses includes an open plan fully fitted kitchen diner and lounge, cloakroom and under-stair cupboard, with a bathroom including a bath and shower, and bedrooms upstairs. The shared ownership properties will have carpet and vinyl floor finishes, whilst the rented properties have vinyl flooring only in the kitchen, cloakroom and bathroom.

“All of the properties have turfed rear and planted turfed front gardens, as well as washing lines, composters, water butts and garden sheds. The majority of the homes have two parking bays, with a single parking bay being allocated for each of the flats.

“Further works included the installation of all the site infrastructure and services, the installation of two large soakaways at the site entrance and the creation of new road crossings from the site.

“All of the future tenants who have viewed the properties have said that they are very pleased with them and some tenants have already moved in. The client is also very pleased with the progress of the development, which is on schedule despite adverse weather in December.”

The vital need for these homes is demonstrated by figures recently released by the National Housing Federation, which lists Cornwall as the rural county with the highest number of second homes in the UK, topping the list with 14,253 – a pressure which further impacts on the local housing market in the county, making affordable homes all the more essential.

Coastline Housing

Within Cornwall, the average starter home costs more than 12 times a first time buyer’s average annual wage.

Allister Young, CEO of Coastline Housing, said: “Housing associations can play a vital part in rural communities, helping local people continue to live in the same area as their friends and family, when they otherwise might be priced out of the market.

“We have consulted closely with local people in planning for this development, which will potentially allow some customers living locally to downsize from large family homes if they need to, and escape the burden of the Government’s ‘bedroom tax’.”

As well as affordable homes for rent, local people will also be able to buy their own new affordable home in North Country through Coastline’s shared ownership scheme (part buy, part rent). Shares of the new homes are available to buy based on individual financial circumstances, with some homes requiring deposits of just 5% of the share purchased.

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Roma Publications