Countylife Homes has not been able to do any building since November, complaining that all its paperwork relating to land purchases, planning applications and building regulations approvals have been stuck in the system during the latest lockdown.
Finally, after six months of inactivity, it is starting work on a recently acquired former farm site on the edge of Gosforth. The construction of seven family homes on land formerly occupied by East House Farm on Brunton Lane is at last under way.
“Getting all the paperwork done has been a real struggle,” said managing director Mike Pattison. “Remote working and the challenges of keeping people safe have definitely had a big impact on what was already a fairly laborious process.
“Ironically this has coincided with a real increase in people seeking to move home – especially to locations out of town. However, we’re now ready to commence work again and I am pleased to say we have managed to keep our small and highly skilled team together over the past few months.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
