Completion of affordable family homes in Leamington has taken Orbit over the half-way point in achieving its ambitious target of developing 12,000 new homes by 2020.
Completion of affordable family homes in Leamington has taken Orbit over the half-way point in achieving its ambitious target of developing 12,000 new homes by 2020.
The handover of three homes at Union Park, in Leamington Spa, marks a significant milestone for one of the UK’s largest developing housing associations, having now delivered 6,000 new homes since April 2013.
Chris White, MP for Warwick and Leamington, marked the official opening of new homes with Orbit and Coventry-based Deeley Construction at Union Park – a £29m development of 147 affordable family homes on the former Soans’ motor dealership site in Sydenham.
Chris White MP was on site for the start of construction in August last year. Eight months on, Mr White joined Orbit and Deeley Construction at the opening of the show home. He said: “I was pleased to join the official opening of Union Park and welcome the building of good quality affordable homes in Leamington. It was particularly impressive to see such an efficient use of a brownfield site.”
Offering canal-side living, Union Park will bring 55 homes to the open market, as well as 39 homes available for shared ownership (part buy, part rent) and 53 for affordable rent.
Chris Jones development director at Orbit, said: “These homes bring us half way to our target of delivering 12,000 new homes across the midlands, east and south by 2020. This fantastic achievement highlights the acceleration of our sector-leading development programme as well as the hard work of our teams across the country.”
He added: “Union Park is a unique development in Leamington, providing more housing options and quality homes to meet people’s needs and aspirations.”
Celebrating 50 years as an organisation, Orbit recently reported record growth having developed 1,788 new homes across its operating areas in the last financial year.
Due for completion in spring 2018, the 147-home Union Park is being delivered in partnership with Deeley Construction.
Martin Gallagher, managing director, Deeley Construction, said: “We are extremely proud that we are helping Orbit reach this milestone which is of national importance in the campaign to solve our housing shortage. The homes will meet a very real need for people in the area who want to live locally but would, without schemes such as this, be unable to do so.”
As well as a growing development pipeline, Orbit reports record year-end sales results for shared ownership having sold 529 homes, up 55 per cent on the previous year. Its market sale division also declared 206 sales, reporting a strong market for its wide range of products during the financial year.