Navigation Way, Biart Place, Rugby

We delivered 100 new affordable homes for Rugby Borough Council at Navigation Way, a £22 million development on the former Biart Place site that is now fully occupied by households from the council's housing waiting list.

The development comprises 60 one and two-bedroom apartments, 20 maisonettes and 20 two, three and four-bedroom houses. Every home has been built to modern sustainability standards, with solar panels, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points installed throughout — reducing energy costs for tenants and supporting the council's net zero ambitions for its housing stock.

Unlocking funding

Our Development Solutions team supported Rugby Borough Council in securing the grant funding that made the scheme possible. This included a £6.8 million grant from Homes England's Affordable Homes Programme 2021–2026 and a further £2 million from the Government's Get Building Fund — investment that allowed the council to allocate all 100 homes to eligible households on its waiting list.

Michelle Cotterill, director at Willmott Dixon, said:

"Navigation Way demonstrates what can be achieved when councils and contractors work in close partnership from the earliest stages of a project. Rugby Borough Council had a clear ambition: high-quality, sustainable homes for local people on a brownfield site, with the funding in place to make them genuinely affordable. Seeing all 100 homes occupied is the measure of success that matters most. It is a fantastic example of how collaboration can deliver lasting impact for a community. We have transformed the old Biart Place site into high‑quality, energy‑efficient homes that directly address local need.”

Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for communities and homes, regulation and safety:

"Navigation Way has transformed the former Biart Place site and delivered 100 modern, sustainable properties which have now become home to eligible households on the council waiting list. We worked closely with Willmott Dixon throughout the development and benefited from the financial support of both the Government and Homes England, which helped bring our plans from the drawing board to delivery."

A proven track record building for councils

Navigation Way is part of a growing portfolio of council and affordable housing schemes Willmott Dixon has delivered across England. Recent completions include Station Gardens in Rochdale, 81 net zero homes on a brownfield gateway site delivered for Rochdale Development Agency, building on earlier regeneration work in the town at Riverside and Upperbanks, where 242 homes and a hotel were created in the town centre.

Across all our housing work for local authorities, our Development Solutions team plays an active role from the outset , helping councils identify and secure grant funding, structure schemes for viability, and navigate the complex mix of public finance that makes genuinely affordable development possible. On Navigation Way, that meant working with Homes England and the Government's Get Building Fund; on other schemes it has included Levelling Up funding, the Community Regeneration Partnership Fund, and a range of other public programmes.

We bring the same approach to sustainability across every scheme: our housing developments are designed and built to reduce energy costs for tenants, support councils' net zero commitments, and deliver homes that remain fit for purpose for decades to come.