Contractor announced for retirement scheme in Northumberland

A housing association has chosen its construction partner for the delivery of a new £5.5million retirement living development in Ponteland.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Dec 2021, 10:30 BST
An artist’s impression of how the new Athol Court will look on completion.An artist’s impression of how the new Athol Court will look on completion.
An artist’s impression of how the new Athol Court will look on completion.

Karbon Homes, which owns nearly 30,000 properties across the North East and Yorkshire, has awarded the contract for its Athol Court scheme to EQUANS – the new brand for ENGIE’s regeneration and services led activities.

The development will include 34 “high-quality” apartments, with a mix of one and two bed homes available for affordable rent and shared ownership for over 55s.

Work is expected to start on site in early 2022.

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Zoey Hawthorne, assistant director of development delivery at Karbon Homes, said: “We’re delighted to announce EQUANS as the lead contractor for this development and look forward to work getting started in the new year.

“We’ve worked hard to develop a modern scheme which provides high-quality affordable homes, incorporating the comments of the local community to ensure the homes meet their wants and needs.”

The new scheme will replace the former Athol House on Callerton Lane, which Karbon said did not meet modern standards. It was recently demolished.

The housing association offered extensive support to the residents of Athol House to help them find suitable alternative homes.

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The development will cover a similar footprint to the original scheme, but given the proximity of the River Pont, will be elevated slightly above ground floor level to ensure flood safety.

It will also be moved slightly further away from neighbouring properties to ensure no loss of privacy.

Karbon added that EQUANS has a strong track record of working with housing associations, helping to deliver new homes across the region.

Will Kay, regional managing director at EQUANS, said: “We’re delighted to bring our construction and regeneration expertise to this development and are pleased to be making this scheme a reality through our partnership with Karbon Homes.

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“The development will provide much-needed affordable homes for older people in the area and we look forward to getting started soon.”

Karbon has the support of Homes England in funding the costs of the project.

Related topics:PontelandNorth EastYorkshire