June 2023
Cllr John Adams, Cabinet Member for Housing, Kevin Scarlett, Deputy Strategic Director for Housing, Environment and Healthy Communities, and Amanda Reed, Housing Growth and Development Manager visited the completed Fairfields Manor scheme in Crawcrook, and the live Highfields development in Whickham, Gateshead.
We arranged the visits to demonstrate to the Council the high quality, attractive developments we deliver, which include a range of beautiful house types designed for modern living which suit a range of homeowners. The aim of the visits was to also highlight the benefits the schemes have delivered and will deliver, not only for those living within them, but also to the wider community.
It was also important to us to show the operations of our live development sites, demonstrating respect for neighbours by minimising disruption during the construction phase and ensuring that the developments are well kept, well managed and safe for those working, living and visiting them.
Stuart Morgan, Land Director for Story Homes said: “We’re delighted that Cllr Adams and his colleagues accepted our invitation to take a tour of our developments. We are in regular contact with the various council teams during the application process for our developments, but once planning has been approved it’s very rare that they get to see the results of the schemes they have been involved with.
“We were very grateful for the opportunity to show them around the completed Fairfields Manor development in Crawcrook, so they could see the attractive street scenes we’ve created, and to appreciate how well the development has settled into its surroundings. We were also able to point out some of the benefits the scheme has delivered within the community.
“It’s really important to us that we continue to communicate with councils once planning applications have been approved, so that we can continue to build relationships that are based on mutual respect and an appreciation of the goals both parties are aiming to achieve.”
Councillor John Adams, Cabinet Member for Housing at Gateshead Council, said: “It was really interesting to join the team from Story Homes on a tour of some of their developments in Gateshead. I know the communities they’re creating are very popular with a broad range of prospective homeowners, and fit with the council’s vision of creating desirable, high-quality homes.
“I believe Gateshead is a great place to live, and new housing developments such as these will not only appeal to current residents looking for a new home, but they will also help attract new families to the area, helping to grow the local economy.”
The Fairfields Manor development has directly contributed approximately £785,000 to the local community through the Section 106 (S106*) contributions attached to the planning approval. These contributions were used to support local primary school education, off-site ecological improvements, Hill 60 maintenance works and off-site highway improvements.
The Highfields development has removed unsightly derelict buildings from the location, delivered ecological enhancements on site and contributed more than £20,000 to create better environmental habitats off-site within the area. Collectively these two developments have also delivered a total of 30 affordable homes in Gateshead.
We hope to carry out more of these types of visits in the future as we continue to expand our presence within the region.
To find out more about Highfields click here.
* A Section 106 is a legal agreement between an applicant seeking planning permission and the local planning authority, which is used to mitigate the impact of any new homes on the local community and infrastructure.
