Children in Hoo help lay first bricks
Bob the Builder and children from Hoo St Werbugh Primary School
were among special guests to join Ashley West, Chair of the mhs
homes group, to lay the first bricks at a development of new homes
in the village of Hoo.
The foundations of the 21 new homes were recently laid down and
the first brick laying ceremony marked a vital stage in the
transformation of what was previously a sheltered scheme which was
no longer suitable for modern living, into a brand new development
of attractive and energy efficient homes.
St Werburgh Court was made up of bedsits
which were built on several different levels and the style of the
26 small bedsits were no longer in demand. When the scheme
closed at the end of 2010 the residents of St Werburgh Court moved
to lternative accommodation. Many asked to remain in the
village and were re-housed at a new sheltered scheme ‘Great Paul
House’.
Emma Riddington, Head of Development said:
“The new properties being built on the site are a mix of flats and
houses for affordable rent and shared ownership. Three of the homes
will be specially adapted for people who use wheelchairs. The homes
will be of timber frame construction and will be built to code
level 3 which means that they will be well insulated and very
energy efficient and cost effective to run for the new
occupants.”
The exciting milestone was celebrated by local
councillors, members of the village parish council, children
from the neighbouring primary school. Local residents and parents
with their toddlers from the pre-school playgroup which
regularly meets in the community hall opposite were keen to watch
as the first bricks were put in place.
After welcoming the crowd Ashley West,
Chair of the mhs homes group said: “As Medway’s largest landlord
mhs homes, which owns and manages almost 8000 homes in the Medway
area, is committed to providing people with decent affordable
homes.
In the last year we have delivered over 100
new homes for rent and shared ownership.
Through shared ownership we are able to give
people, who in the current economic climate would not otherwise be
able to afford to buy a home, the opportunity to buy a share of a
property to help them get on to the property ladder with a view to
them buying a larger share at a later date.
Much of the work we do is achieved through a
partnership approach. We have worked very closely with Medway
Council planning department to deliver the schemes. Many
of our developments are part funded by the Homes and Communities
Agency which has provided over £5.5million grant. Our overall
programme consists of more than 360 properties over the past three
years with just under £19m in grant. Then there are the
contractors, consultants and architects who work with our
development team to produce the end result – new energy efficient
homes for people who need them.”
The homes, which are costing £2.1million, will
be completed in phases with handover planned from the end of 2012
through to final completion in February 2013.
The project team includes BPTW Architects,
Chartway Group who are contractors and PSW Building Consultancy are
the employers agent.
and architects who work with our development
team to produce the end result – new energy efficient homes for
people who need them.”
For more great pictures see our Facebook
page.