Brand-new high-quality council homes for Northampton

Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) invited Assistant Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Stephen Hibbert, to officially mark the completion of the development with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Families have started to move into the new homes which have been allocated via the WNC allocation scheme.

NPH was granted planning permission to build the three and four-bedroom houses on a former garage site that was no longer being used. Two of the homes have been built specifically to suit residents with accessibility requirements. The accessible homes have features such as lowered light switches and adjustable kitchen work tops.

NPH’s CEO, Steve Feast, said: “NPH have an ongoing commitment to support local people by providing high quality council homes in Northampton. I’m extremely proud of the results achieved by our staff alongside local contractors. It’s vital that we meet the needs of all NPH residents, which is why you will continue to see a selection of homes built with accessibility in mind.”

One of the new residents shared how it feels moving into their new home. She told us: “Apart from feeling tired from moving only yesterday, everything is perfect and, so far, I like the look of the area. I am so happy that finally my son has a safe place to ride his bike.”

This site is just one of a number of developments currently being undertaken by NPH, across Northampton, on infill scrubland and disused former garage sites. Many of the sites, which had lain empty, were being used for fly-tipping and had started to attract anti-social behaviour. Transforming the land into new housing has seen a big improvement for the landscape and a positive impact on the local community.

Assistant Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Stephen Hibbert, is delighted with the quality of the homes, he said: “Developments like these are very important for the community and it's something that NPH has always embraced. They've led on increasing social housing in the town and they’re a good development partner for the council so I’m very pleased to be here today to see the work that is being done.

“When the planning application was submitted, there were concerns raised around parking but the builders have addressed the issue with this development because every house has got a parking space and it's wonderful to see the charging points being introduced as well.”

NPH’s Chair of the Board, Andrew Woods, who was also in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony, took time to recognise the work undertaken by NPH staff, contractor A. Ainge & Sons and chartered surveyor, Eddisons. He appreciated everyone’s efforts over the past 14 months.

Andrew said: “The houses have been completed to an excellent standard and are a much-needed addition to the area. I also applaud NPH’s decision to award the contract to a local company - it helps minimise carbon emissions whilst providing employment opportunities for local tradespeople.”