Work starts on affordable housing project

Work is now underway on a new affordable housing development in Northampton.Colleagues from housing association Futures Housing Group and construction company United Living Group joined together to visit the start of works at Central Avenue.The site will be home to 38 properties, made up of 20 social rent and 18 shared ownership units.Councillor John Shephard, chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “It was fascinating to go onto a real site where people were working very hard, and I was impressed as it was extraordinarily tidy.”It was remarkable to see the steps being taken to accommodate the rainwater off the site and I look forward very much to welcoming the tenants to their homes later this year.”The site has been vacant since the demolition of the squash club some 20 years ago, so we congratulate Futures for bringing it into proper use.”Each property on Central Avenue will have an electric car charging point, solar panels and thicker insulation.Ceri Theobald, group director of strategic partnerships and growth at Futures, said: “Making energy efficient homes is important for Futures as it not only helps us on our road to Net Zero, but it’s beneficial for the people that then live in these homes.”Their home will stay warmer for longer, meaning their energy usage should be lower, and the environmental impact will be reduced too.”We’re proud to be working with United Living, who clearly share our same vision of providing good quality homes for people in a time where more homes are very much needed.”Caroline Lewis, managing director at United Living New Homes, added: “We’re very happy to be delivering this project; providing affordable homes is very important to us and it’s great to have a focus on making them more energy efficient and affordable to run too, through added sustainability measures.”