Aster Group completes land deal for mixed-tenure Bargates scheme

Housing association Aster Group has completed its purchase of land needed to deliver a 169-home mixed tenure scheme near Christchurch in Dorset.The site of the former police station and magistrates court in Bargates represents one of Aster’s largest land-led development schemes to date.Aster, which operates in London and across the South of England will break ground on the scheme in Autumn to begin creating a new neighbourhood featuring a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, and two- to five-bedroom houses.The scheme is set to deliver 23 homes for “affordable” rent; 30 homes intended for purchase through affordable home ownership schemes, such as shared ownership and discounted starter homes; a further 77 homes and 39 sheltered accommodation units will be sold on the open market.Aster Group’s chief investment officer, Amanda Williams said the Bargates scheme has been almost 10 years in the making.“We’re pleased to finally be making a start on site soon,” she added. “Like a lot of coastal areas, there’s a distinct lack of affordable homes available for local people and we hope that in providing a range of tenures we’ll be helping to plug some of the gap.She added: “When combined with the carefully considered combination of tenures, these homes will create a thriving neighbourhood that will support the long-term prosperity of the area.”Aster claims the development will also support the wider community of Christchurch by contributing over £1m through the section 106 agreement towards education, highways works and improvements to existing local open public spaces among others.The group has a £2.3bn investment plan to deliver 10,000 homes over the next seven years. In its last financial year, 395 of 1,312 homes built were delivered through its land-led programme.Read more: Orbit to deliver 108 social and shared ownership homes in East SussexAre you a social housing professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.