£4 million for new homes in Darlington

Plans for over 100 new homes in Darlington are set to move ahead following confirmation of almost £4 million in funding from the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency.

Tees Valley Housing is preparing to create 106 houses on the sites of three former schools at Glebe Road, in the town’s Beaumont Hill area. The £14 million scheme will provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom houses, including rented homes as well as options to help local people get on the housing ladder.

“We are pleased to support Tees Valley Housing in providing quality homes on an excellent site,” said Paul Jackson, investment and regeneration manager at the Homes and Communities Agency. “The scheme will also help to set a new standard for green living in Darlington.”

The development will include six homes built to level five of the Code for Sustainable Homes – the first housing in Darlington to meet the target. These houses will be carefully oriented to catch the sun, maximising the efficiency of photovoltaic cells on the rooftops, and fitted with energy-efficient boilers and high quality insulation.

“We wanted to do something genuinely different and innovative – and this will be a real step up,” said Martin Hawthorne, group director of development and regeneration at Fabrick, the parent company of Tees Valley Housing. “Smart metering will enable us to monitor energy use and carbon emissions, and see how much residents are saving on their bills. That will be a real help to us in planning greener homes for the future.”

The development is one of a number of Darlington-based projects supported by the Homes and Communities Agency. These include a major mixed-use scheme at Central Park and construction of 65 new homes on four sites across the area, led by Darlington Council.

Both Tees Valley Housing and construction contractor Southdale have pledged to maximise opportunities for local people to get jobs and training through the project, which is expected to start on site before the end of the year.

Paul Moore, managing director of Southdale, said: “This is a prestigious project which will have long reaching positive economic and social effects for the local community. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Tees Valley Housing on something that will provide benefit to so many people. Everyone is focused on achieving the same outcome – high quality affordable homes for the residents of Darlington.”

Planning permission has already been secured for the development, which has been designed by award-winning architects JDDK of Newcastle.