The Door to Affordable Homes
A FACELIFT on a Middlesbrough estate has put more new affordable homes on the menu.
Erimus Housing has opened the doors to its contemporary new development on the town centre estate of Newport.
More than £9m is being spent creating the 94-property development, which lies on the former site of three unpopular blocks of maisonettes that were demolished last year after they also became a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
Now the development, which plays home to properties for both rent and sale, was officially opened by Newport resident Edna Donnelly, who is Vice Chair of the Erimus Housing Board.
She said: “This development has created more vital affordable housing in a popular area that is a gateway to the town.
“These properties have transformed the area and now offer not only opportunities for rent, but also the chance to get a foot on to the property ladder for people who may have thought they could not afford it.”
Work on the scheme, made up of a three storey 24 unit apartment block, a four storey 44 unit apartment block, 23 houses and three bungalows, started in May last year.
All the apartments have two bedrooms, with an ensuite to the master bedroom and the bungalows and houses are a mix of two and three bedroom properties.
The 24 unit apartment block, as well as 11 houses and one bungalow, are available for affordable rent.
The 44 unit apartment block and remaining houses include a range of tenure options including shared ownership, which means buyers can purchase 50% or 65% of the property and rent the rest from Erimus Housing until they can afford to buy a further share.
Chris Smith, Managing Director of Erimus Housing, said: “A flexible approach has been adopted and will include shared equity, shared ownership, intermediate market rent and outright sale to reflect the changing economic climate.
“The apartment blocks will be landmark buildings on one of the main approach roads into the town centre and will transform the Newport estate in which we have also invested heavily in improvements to our housing stock.”