Welcome to our Development Update
Longhurst Group
We provide much-needed homes and support services with a vision to improve the lives of our customers and communities.
In our latest update we share our key development news and recent scheme handovers, and highlight our areas of focus and growth aspirations. ?
Alongside?the whole housing sector, Longhurst Group?continues to face a range of challenges and we've laid out our response to these in?our recently published annual report . More information can be found below.
Our development programme remains strong and, as of 30?September 2023, we've delivered:
We've been named in the top 30 of Inside Housing's Biggest Builders survey for the second consecutive year and remain on course to complete more than 600 homes by the end of this financial year.
Our long-term business plan supports continued delivery of this size, including the completion of our Homes England programme to deliver nearly 2,000 new homes through our strategic partnership.?
We remain open to new opportunities across Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire?and Nottinghamshire, while retaining?our strategy of helping improve accessibility and continuing?to deliver quality homes for all.?
In this update, you'll also hear about a stakeholder event we're hosting at Stamford College on Monday, 11 December. If you're available, we'd love you to come along?and meet the team to discuss how we can work together to help meet the continued demand for affordable housing across the eastern region.?
As always, thank you for reading and for your ongoing support.
Marcus?Keys,Executive Director of Growth and Development
Titled 'Resetting our focus for future success' our annual report outlines our priorities and highlights our key financial statistics and performance data while acknowledging where we need to improve, and more importantly how we’re going to do that.
Created to be accessible, engaging and interactive, this year's report is full of stories from our customers and communities that highlight how we've?continued to support them and realise our vision to improve lives.?
Resetting our focus features a series of video case studies, including the one below showcasing a tour of some of our development sites by our Group Board and committee members earlier this year.
Our Environment, Social and Governance report
Our Environment, Social and Governance Report (ESG), which focuses on our progress across the 12 ESG themes outlined within the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS) is now live.
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), these themes cover 48 ESG criteria, including zero carbon targets, affordability and safety standards.?
Double awards success
We're delighted to share that our California Meadows development won two awards at the Structural Timber Awards.
The 56-home development in Huntingdon, built by Burmor Construction using a modern method of construction created by LoCal Homes, won Social Housing Project of the Year?and Timber Frame Project of the Year.
California Meadows, pictured above, has also been showcased by Huntingdonshire District Council as an affordable housing development in their region and featured in their new Corporate Plan and video .
Our development at Norfolk Street in Boston, which was in collaboration with D Brown, also won an LABC award. The former Magnadata site was recognised in the Best Large Social Housing Development category for the highly competitive East Midlands region at the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2023.?This is further fitting recognition of the strength of our partnerships.
The Leas showhome launches
Working with D Brown, we've just released part of our 135?home development, The Leas in Boston, opening a show home and marketing suite to welcome?potential customers.?
The development will comprise 12 one-bedroom homes, 69 two-bedroom properties, 50 three-bedroom homes and a further four with four bedrooms.
In total, 36 homes will be made available on a Shared Ownership basis, 22 for Rent to Buy and the remaining homes for social rent. Part-funded through a grant from Homes England as part of our strategic partnership, the development?will be one of the largest ground source heat pump sites in the region with all 135 properties having ground source heat pumps.
Join us at Stamford College!
We're delighted to be working with Inspire Education Group, through Stamford and Peterborough Colleges, and will be hosting a contractor and developer event next month.
We'll bring together our partners to demonstrate the success of our development programme, its continued ambition, the challenges we're facing and our desire to deliver a minimum of 600 new homes across our region every year. It’s an opportunity to meet our Growth and Development senior management team and hear about opportunities to work with the colleges, their apprenticeships and programs.
The event will take place on Monday, 11 December, from 1pm, at Stamford College. Invites will be sent out soon but if you'd like to book your place, please use the link below.
All systems go in Bourne!
Work is progressing well at our new affordable housing development in Bourne where we’ve joined forces with Allison Partnerships to deliver the 121-home Mays Place.
Since work began on Manning Road earlier this year, progress has been impressive, with many of the homes now taking shape.
The development will provide a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes across a variety of tenures, including Shared Ownership, Rent to Buy and affordable rent.
Delivering quality homes where they're needed the most
As of the end of September 2023 we’ve taken 234 handovers across our geography of?Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire.?
This included?a mix of one to four-bedroom houses, apartments and bungalows across Rent to Buy, outright sale and Shared Ownership.?
Pictured above are?a?selection of photographs?from Bourne Road in?Morton, Highfields Road, Caldecote, Corby Glen and The Leas in Boston.
Time capsule buried by school pupils at development in Boston
Pupils from a nearby primary school in Boston recently buried a time capsule on the site of our new housing development, The Leas, which is located on Toot Lane in the Lincolnshire town.
Children from reception at Hawthorn Tree Primary School filled the capsule with pictures, lengths of string to show how tall they are now, and “all about me” information pages.
Affordable homes coming to an area of high demand
Work is progressing well on 16 new affordable homes in a Lincolnshire village where we’ve partnered with Lindum Group to build two and three-bedroom homes on Doddington Lane in Claypole.
After work started earlier this year, the homes are now taking shape with roofing work?due to be completed imminently.
The homes, which are currently scheduled to be completed in the new year, will be made available for Shared Ownership and affordable rent.
Marcus Keys Executive Director of Growth and Development
E: [email protected] D:?01205 204 280 M: 07973 495 354
Nick Worboy Director of Growth, Development and Sales
E: [email protected] D:?01205 204 257 M: 07771 917 270