News
Recent news and developments from Homes for the South West.
LiveWest celebrate 1,000 new affordable homes landmark
LiveWest have achieved a key milestone after delivering 1,000 new affordable homes in just over a year throughout the south west.
Following the merger of DCH and Knightstone Housing in March 2018, Homes for the South West member, LiveWest immediately pledged to invest £2billion in the regional economy over the following 10 years, building 16,000 new homes across the westcountry and sustaining 6,500 jobs in the building and supply chain.
Having invested £140million on new homes in its first year, the south west’s largest housing provider focuses its efforts on providing a range of affordable housing options.
Recent new developments include the completion of the 100% affordable housing scheme of 21 new homes in St Breward in Cornwall, 15 new affordable homes in Tarka View, Crediton, and 13 new affordable homes – a combination of traditional and modern methods of construction – at The Parade, Bridgwater.
Our Executive Director of Development said: “What we have achieved in the last year has been huge and demonstrates that housing organisations with ambition and expertise can make a real difference.
“We are based in an area of high housing need as well as high house prices which makes accessing housing particularly challenging for many families.
“Every affordable house built is important but to be able to make such a difference on such a scale requires collaboration across our organisation, our supply chain, contractors and local authority partners.
“It has been an exceptional first year and we are well placed to deliver even more affordable homes going forward. Over next year we will build a further 1200 affordable homes as well as homes for market sale at schemes across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and the West of England.”
LiveWest currently own 36,000 homes across the region and has become one of the first partnerships nationally, alongside Sovereign, to be given a £111.5million Homes England grant to build a further 2,275 new homes by 2024.
After breaking through the 1,000 new homes barrier, our Development Director Nathan Cronk said: “This is a fantastic achievement and we are so proud to be able to make such a difference to people’s lives. As we are all aware there’s a desperate shortage of affordable housing in the region and we have been working hard to deliver homes to address this issue.”
LiveWest employ around 1,400 staff and provides services to more than 70,000 people from Gloucestershire to the Isles of Scilly.
31 affordable homes heading to Bideford
Work has just started on Westward’s exciting new affordable homes development in Bideford which will see 31 homes built to help meet a growing local housing need.
Westward are a member of Homes for the South West and will deliver 31 properties, of which 26 of these homes will be for affordable rent and 5 homes for shared ownership (part-buy part-rent) which are due to be available in Spring 2020.
Three families move into affordable housing in Paignton
Three delighted families moved into their new homes on the Fusion estate in Paignton on Thursday as Westward let the properties to local families through Devon Home Choice. Two more households will also move into their shared ownership homes in Foxglove Way this month.
Mayor opens new community of homes in East Devon
Lord Clinton performed a ribbon-cutting to mark the official opening of Cavanna Homes’ new show home at Alfred’s Gate in the East Devon village of Newton Poppleford, near Sidmouth.
Keith Miller, Managing Director at Cavanna Homes, joined Lord Clinton from Clinton Devon Estates, and members of the project team who have brought the 40 new home development to fruition.
Homes for the South West member LiveWest are managing the sale of affordable homes at Alfred’s Gate.
New affordable housing for the local people of South Gloucestershire
A new housing development in Pucklechurch aimed at providing affordable accommodation for local people of South Gloucestershire is on course for completion by April 2019.
Homes for the South West member, LiveWest, started work on the development, which spans two sites, in 2016 after being granted planning permission by South Gloucestershire Council.
100% affordable housing development in St Breward completed
This week Homes for Cornwall partners gathered at a new 100% affordable housing development in St Breward to officially celebrate the new homes and welcome new residents. The St Breward development called Moorland Fields and Chyryn Drive provides 21 new homes for local people, ranging from one to four bedrooms. 11 are for rent and 10 for shared ownership.
Affordable homes for rent coming to Liskeard this Christmas
Homes for the South West member Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) is developing more than 32 homes for affordable rent in Liskeard – its first scheme in Cornwall.
LiveWest & Bovis to build 398 new homes in Tavistock
Homes for the South West member LiveWest has entered into its first joint venture with national housebuilder Bovis Homes to build 398 new homes in Tavistock.
95 new homes coming to Plymouth this winter
Plymouth’s largest social housing provider and Homes for the South West member Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) has taken handover from contractor Galliford Try of the first 26 homes at the Brentor View development in Southway, Plymouth.
Economic Growth Conference Focus On Development and Regeneration Projects
This week the West of England Economic Growth Conference was back with a focus on making development and regeneration projects happen to drive economic growth within the region.
Alliance Homes Group CEO Louise Swain presented at the conference yesterday and explained how we’re contributing to economic growth in the region through our five-year strategic plan.
“As a social housing provider, our purpose is to improve lives and benefit communities offering housing and support to more than 12,000 people in the West of England.
“It’s estimated that nationally 300,000 extra homes needed each year by 2025, and the shortage of affordable homes remains high on national agenda. According to the National Housing Federation’s Home Truths Report, in the south west, the five-year shortfall is 21,597, and it’s clear we need to do more to tackle the unaffordability of buying a home or renting in the private market.
“With the unveiling of the Social Housing Green Paper in August, and last month’s speech by Theresa May announcing £2bn investment in housing from 2022, we’re welcoming government’s desire to change the perception of social housing. Ms May wants to see social housing so good people are proud to call it their home, and I’m pleased that number 10 understands the part the sector needs to and can play. But our sector is set against a backdrop of socioeconomic changes with an ageing population and increased health needs, and the pace of digital transformation quickening. As housing providers, we need to do more, and with pace.
“What are we doing to bridge the gap? At Alliance, we’ve built a five-year strategy which aims to not just increase the supply housing but to also help support our customers into employment to help them sustain their tenancy.
“Government support for housebuilding in the West of England is set to help nearly double the number of new homes delivered historically. At Alliance, we’re at the outset of delivering 1,000 new homes over the next five years through land-led builds and section 106 agreements.
“Becoming a member of the newly relaunched Homes for the South West sees us working collaboratively with other registered providers of social housing to identify and tackle the barriers to new housing in our region. Together, we own over 180,000 homes housing over a million people. Our collective voice is making the case for new housing at a local, regional and national level, as we strive to build 16,000 new homes before 2020. We’re ambitious about the role we can play together to invest in and build more homes in the South West.”