Social housing provider Home Group is set to build 23 flats and three houses in Newcastle as part of a £1.6m development.
The homes will help to regenerate the Walker part of the city and will also provide the people who live there with energy efficient properties which will be environmentally friendly and cheap to run.
The work is being carried out by VINCI Construction UK which won the contract to build the properties from Tyneside based Home Group.
Ian Tallentire, Home Group’s director of development, said: “We’re very much looking forward to working with VINCI on this project. It’s important to Home Group to not only create high quality homes but to create neighbourhoods people are proud to live in.
“These properties will help re-generate an area of Newcastle and provide much needed homes for local families.
“The homes will have a high level of eco efficiency which is good for the environment and will help our customers save money.”
Work is due to start on the site at Wellbeck Road within weeks and is expected to be completed early next year. The properties will be timber framed with brick exterior.
At the beginning of 2012 Home Group made a commitment to create more than 200 apprenticeships through a combination of internal roles and requiring contractors to employee apprentices.
Ian added: “Home Group is committed to providing career opportunities for people and providing them with the skills and training they need to flourish. We’ve recently teamed up with the North East Chamber of Commerce to deliver apprenticeship training and we also make it a requirement of our contractors that they provide apprenticeship opportunities for any projects they deliver for us.”
The Wellbeck Road project is also being built as part of the Greenwood Project – a scheme which gives people the necessary skills to self-build high quality housing.
All the homes will be built to Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes meaning they will have high levels of insulation and energy efficiency.
Chris Hamer, Managing Director, VINCI Construction UK, Building Division-North, commented,
“We are delighted to be working with Home Group and are pleased that work is now getting underway. The scheme provides the opportunity to construct homes of a high standard of sustainability that will meet the current and future needs of those who live in them and also help to protect the environment.”
“By working with Newcastle College, we will provide training opportunities with skilled operatives, qualified tradesman and VINCI Construction UK’s management staff.”
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