Ireland-based Century Homes has won a £3.5m contract to build more than 300 affordable homes in the north-east of England.
The order, from an alliance of nine housing associations, is the first tranche in the region of potentially 1,300 new homes for Century, worth £15m. Homes will be manufactured off site at the company’s recently acquired Timber Frame Solutions operation at Blyth (October 2/9, 2004).
The alliance, the first of its kind in the north-east, brings together three housing association partnerships – Northern Partnership Homes, NEET and Nomad Housing Group, all of which have approved partner status endorsed by the Housing Corporation.
Gerry McCaughey, Century’s chief executive, said: “Winning this flagship social and affordable housing contract demonstrates Century Homes’ ability to deliver the highest quality homes anywhere in the world.”
Century, whose delivery programme will halve build time compared to masonry construction, was chosen after a competitive tender. It will erect homes across Darlington, Easington, Durham, Thornley, Stanley, Gateshead and South Tyneside.
Ray Gibson, development director at Endeavour Housing Association (part of NEET), said: “Timber frame construction not only enables us to build quickly, but also to improve housing quality and energy efficiency in a way that can’t be achieved through traditional construction methods.”
Ian Prescott, Nomad’s deputy chief executive, said the alliance could give Century a scale of business which has allowed the company to offer a “competitive price on a high quality product”.
Century will double its workforce to 80 at Timber Frame Solutions, shortly to be renamed Century Homes, during the next two years.
