Officers and Councillors of Kettering Borough Council attended an official opening ceremony hosted by the Orbit Group for its recently completed affordable housing scheme at Furnace Lane, Kettering on Tuesday 19th July.
Over the past five years, Kettering Borough Council has been working with housing associations to bring redundant council sites back into use with over 100 new affordable homes now developed.
Furnace Lane is an excellent example of the Council working with partners to deliver a high quality scheme which has been constructed to Code for Sustainable Homes level 4. Just over £3m of National Affordable Housing Programme grant funding was secured from the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver 51 new 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes for rent and low cost home ownership.
John Conway, Head of Housing, Kettering Borough Council commented on the successful partnership with Orbit in terms of affordable housing delivery : "Kettering Borough Council has been pleased to work in partnership with Orbit Heart of England over many years. The high quality of design and the eco-friendly features of the new homes combine to create an exceptional living environment”
Those attending the official opening, including the contractor Thomas Vale, Orbit Homes and local councillors were welcomed to the new development by Councillor Derek Zanger, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Kettering Borough Council who commended Furnace Lane.
“As well as being a great outcome for the families concerned, this has made excellent financial sense for the Council as well.
It is far better to invest in new homes where people can build a good life for themselves rather than to pay for bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless households.
Orbit has been a key partner in delivering our strategy for redundant sites with Furnace Lane following successful projects at Peaselands in Desborough and Sussex Road in Kettering”.
The Government’s Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, visited the scheme during construction last year and commented "This is exactly the kind of high-quality and affordable family housing that this country needs to create strong communities for the future. Furnace Lane shows how collaboration between Government, councils like Kettering and major housing providers like Orbit is delivering local housing for local people in partnership with the community."
The scheme has proved popular with residents with all of the social rent now occupied and the majority of the shared ownership homes either sold or reserved.
For further information, please contact Guy Holloway on 077 664 222 77
Notes to Editor
The people in the photo are:
From left to right: Glen Schofield, Divisional Director at Thomas Vale, Stewart Fergusson, Managing Director at Orbit Homes and Cllr Zanger, Kettering Borough Council.