By Jayne Whittlestone, Communities Manager, United Communities.
United Communities were delighted to be the winner of a National Housing Award for their Dunmail site delivering 161 mixed-tenure homes in Southmead. The judges from the National Housing Awards credited the development as having met the following criteria:
- Excellent consultation with the local community and consideration with the local environment.
- Meeting needs of the local market, local strategy requirements and responding to the local demands.
- The scheme showed a strong commitment to environmental sustainability whilst remaining affordable for future residents.
- The homes have design features which make the most of the site potential as well as showing sensitivity to its neighbourhoods and surrounding area.
This new development started onsite in July 2018 and is set to transform the former Dunmail Primary School area into much needed housing. From 2019 we will provide 161 houses and apartments with a wide range of tenures available. Of the 161 homes there will be 77 social rented through Home Choice, Shared Ownership homes, and a series of private rented homes for key workers and a unique rent-to-buy offering.
The partnership for the funding is a turning point for UK housing as it’s the first time that a housing association, a community investment company and a private investor have come together to create an inclusive housing scheme and marks the introduction of the UK’s first private sector rent-to-buy model.
