Doncaster Council's Affordable Housing Programme - Phase 1

Having built over 400 new homes for Doncaster Council in recent years, we have handed over the first phase of the council's £100m delivery plan for affordable housing, providing another 33 new homes in the area.

A mix of bungalows and family homes are spread across three sites:

• Adwick Lane, Toll Bar - twenty-one 2-4 bedroom houses
• Appleby Road, Intake - seven 2-3 bedroom houses
• Athlestane Crescent, Edenthorpe - five 2-3 bedroom houses

Sustainability

The three sites have all been built with sustainability in mind. Firstly, consideration around how the schemes may impact on nature recovery and biodiversity were at the core of the design briefs, with each site being designed to safeguard the environment.

The houses have also been designed to be energy and cost efficient, providing a 31% improvement on the latest energy efficiency regulations. This will, in turn, help to make the properties cheaper to run.

All houses have solar photovoltaic (PV) panels sitting within the tiles, meaning that green energy comes as standard for the tenants. Other features include better flooring insulation and electric vehicle charging points to help tenants live comfortably and sustainably in the new homes.

Giving back to the local community

Across the duration of the project, the team has provided a number of opportunities to young people in the local area, including a five-week traineeship programme for NEETs (not in employment, education or training) that saw the young people gain hands-on work experience as well as the opportunity to receive their CSCS card.

They have frequently welcomed students to site to give work experience opportunities, with one of these instances lasting over six months!

The team welcomed a student from a local autistic college to complete some work experience on the site. What was meant to be a few weeks of work experience quickly turned into months. As the individual's confidence grew, they also started coming to site more and more often, helping to prepare them for a full-time job.

They have now found employment, with their tutor citing their experiences on-site as being instrumental in helping them to achieve this goal.

Our team regularly welcomed work experience students to the site

Cllr Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor & Portfolio holder for Housing & Business, said:

"It is great to reach this landmark stage in the development of our Housing Strategy and the Housing Delivery Plan. This is just the start with more than 500 new homes planned over the next five years.

“We are making a tangible difference to hundreds of Doncaster residents by building quality homes, which are ready to be occupied.

“These homes include the latest energy saving features to address climate change and to make them very affordable to keep warm and are built to meet the needs and wants of residents. We are leading the way on high standards on the council homes building front.”

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We’re delighted to be celebrating the handover of these homes on Adwick Lane in Doncaster. After working with the Council to deliver over 400 new homes in recent years, we have built strong relationships in the area and continue to help meet the growing housing needs of the local community.

"As with all our schemes, we aim to leave a positive lasting impact on the communities we work within. Throughout this project, we have delivered social value through initiatives to enhance social, economic and environmental wellbeing for residents, such as providing work experience, charity work, apprenticeships for young people and bettering energy efficiency standards, as well as getting involved with local schools.”