Willmott Dixon has begun construction work for Doncaster Council on three new housing developments across the borough as part of the next phase of the Council House Build Programme. In total, 33 affordable homes will be available when construction completes in January 2023.

The project, which has been procured via SCAPE, includes the building of:

• Twenty-one 2-4 bedroom houses on Adwick Lane, Toll Bar
• Seven 2-3 bedroom houses on Appleby Road, Intake
• Five 2-3 bedroom houses on Athlestane Crescent, Edenthorpe.

The sites form part of the council’s new £100million housebuilding programme which was approved, along with a new Housing Strategy, by Mayor Ros Jones and cabinet earlier this year.

The quality social housing developments will be a mix of bungalows and family homes using award winning designs from the council’s in-house architects. A key focus is sustainability with various features included to make them energy efficient, cost effective to run and, as a result, support efforts to tackle the Climate Emergency declared in the borough in September 2019.

Consideration of how the schemes may impact on nature recovery and biodiversity are at the core of the design briefs. Each site has been designed to safeguard the environment, while taking into account their tree and biodiversity impacts.

Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said:

“We’re excited that work is commencing in Doncaster across these three unique sites. After working with the Council to deliver over 400 new homes in recent years, we have built strong relationships in the area and continue to help meet the growing housing needs of the local community.

“As with all our schemes, we aim to leave a positive lasting impact on the communities we work within. Throughout this project, we will generate £444,000 in social value through initiatives to enhance social, economic and environmental wellbeing, such as charity work, apprenticeships for young people and bettering energy efficiency standards.”

Cllr Glyn Jones, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing and Business, said:

“I am delighted to see the next raft of new council homes start to go up. Building quality homes for Doncaster residents was a fundamental element of our Housing Strategy and Council Homes Delivery Plan, so seeing work get underway on our latest three developments is excellent news.

“We have had a superb record for delivering new council homes in recent years and this commitment is continuing with more than 500 new homes planned over the next five years. These are homes that include the latest energy saving features to address the climate change agenda and are built to meet the needs and wants of residents. We are leading the way on high standards on the council homes building front.”

The homes will be built using traditional construction methods but will be a 31% improvement on the latest energy efficiency regulations. All houses will have solar photovoltaic (PV) panels that sit within the tiles, meaning that they don’t have to be retrofitted and green energy comes as standard for the tenants. Furthermore, better flooring insulation and electric vehicle charging points will be included on all new homes to reinforce the sustainability credentials of the developments.

Nick added:

“Willmott Dixon has ambitious environmental targets to meet by 2030 to enable a better planet as part of our Now or Never’ sustainability strategy. For example, we are aiming by 2030 for our projects to be net-zero carbon. We have been a carbon neutral company since 2012 and are now eliminating fossil fuel use in our offices and on our sites, moving to an electric fleet and continuing to source only certified natural renewable energy. We are delighted that local councils, such as Doncaster, are working with us to implement the necessary measures to make a difference to our communities moving forward.”

Mark Robinson, group chief executive, said:

“It is widely reported that there is a shortage of affordable housing in the UK and that 40% of our carbon emissions are as a direct result of our nation’s current housing stock.

"We are proud to be helping accelerate the new energy efficient homes via SCAPE Construction, a direct award framework designed to drive collaboration, efficiency, time and cost savings for Doncaster Council which will be delivered by Willmott Dixon. The addition of the new houses will help Doncaster Council reach their net zero ambitions whilst delivering tangible social value throughout the project.”

All the new council homes will be available on an affordable rent and advertised through St Leger Homes Choice based lettings.