First Homes Handed Over in Conwy Close Housing Scheme
THE first five homes to be completed at the Council’s flagship affordable house building project have been handed over to Reading Borough Council.
A block of 2 one-bed and 3 two-bed flats at the Conwy Close development in Tilehurst are now in the Council’s possession. The properties will now be advertised on HomeChoice and are expected to be let in the next few weeks. The Council contracted Hill to undertake the £11m 57-home development and construction started in October 2017. In total the scheme will include 12 one-bed flats, 22 two-bed flats, 9 two-bed houses, 6 three-bed houses and 8 four-bed houses. The four-bedroom houses are due to be ready in January 2019 and the whole scheme is expected to be completed by summer next year. The homes feature traditional Reading red-brick exteriors and will have attractive landscaped frontages and communal areas, including newly planted trees, open spaces and informal play areas.Cllr John Ennis, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Housing, said:
“I’m thrilled that the Council has taken delivery of the first flats in the Conwy Close affordable homes scheme. “This Council house building project is the biggest in this current phase of construction works and will provide 57 new affordable homes for local people. “I am delighted that the first tenants will be able to move into their modern new homes in the next few weeks and that there will be more houses coming on line in January.”Ryan Harris, Regional Director at Hill, said:
“We were delighted to join Reading Council in celebrating the completion of the first homes at Conwy Close. Working with the council, the development is playing a vital role in providing local families with high-quality affordable homes. We look forward to the first residents moving in within the next few weeks.”NOTES TO EDITORS
Reading Borough Council and Hill are working in partnership to offer Council apprentices opportunities to gain valuable experience on site throughout the project. Hill is also providing funding to offer opportunities to local people through Employment Skills Training. Conwy Close is one of a number of initiatives the Council has in place to tackle the town’s housing crisis. Twenty-eight temporary homes came into use in January 2018 for households who would otherwise be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation; the Council is working closely with the private sector to prevent families being made homeless and to help secure private rented homes for households and the Council’s wholly-owned company Homes for Reading aims to let accommodation at below-market rents in the long term. The Council has also agreed to invest almost £20m in the construction of up to 100 new affordable homes in its next house building programme.About Hill:
Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London and the south east of England, delivering both private for sale and affordable homes. Family owned and operated, it has grown to establish itself as the UK’s third largest privately owned housebuilder, building in excess of 2,000 homes a year, including more than 1,000 homes for clients and partners in the affordable housing sector, and boasts a pipeline of more than 3,300 homes. Hill’s portfolio is diverse, ranging from landmark mixed-use regeneration schemes and large-scale urban extensions, to bespoke housing in rural communities. Hill has won a string of awards and achievements, including the Large Housebuilder of the Year award at the Housebuilder Awards 2018 and Gold for Medium Housebuilder at the WhatHouse? Awards 2018. It also received the coveted 5* status in the Home Builders Federation’s annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, WhatHouse? Development of the Year title three years in a row (2014 - 2016) as well as their Housebuilder of the Year award in 2015. For further information on Hill visit: www.hill.co.uk