Places for People signs partnership with Rother DC Housing Company to deliver 130 new affordable homes in Battle

The partnership will see PfP take possession of 130 low-carbon, energy efficient new build affordable homes at RDCHC’s flagship Blackfriars’ site in the heart of Battle, East Sussex which has the marketing name of ‘Tapestry’. PfP will sell some homes as Shared Ownership and let some others as Affordable Rented homes for local people.

As Master Developer on the site RDCHC intend to sell the remaining 70 homes on the open market to families. There is a carefully considered mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom properties, which will all feature air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points to enable householders to benefit from energy efficient homes which are cheaper to run.

Richard Thomas, Chair of Rother DC Housing Company, said: “We are delighted to forge this new partnership with Places for People whose outstanding reputation will ensure the local community, particularly those looking for an alternative way to get on the property ladder and those on the housing waiting list, benefit from high quality and genuinely affordable homes.

“Although the requirement for us to deliver a proportion of affordable housing under Section 106 was removed through the planning determination process in February 2024, we remained committed to finding a solution to re-introduce affordable housing to the scheme as soon as it became financially viable to do so. After gaining approval for a more efficiently designed housing scheme and, following a competitive tender process to appoint a new main contractor within the available budget, RDCHC achieved the improved financial outlook which has made today’s news possible.

John Kerr, Regional Managing Director of Developments, South East said: “Housebuilding is not about just building more homes; it’s about building homes in tenures that meet local market needs. This is why we’re thrilled to enter this new partnership with Rother DC Housing Company and deliver all the 130 homes we acquire from RDCHC as affordable tenures. As the UK’s leading social enterprise, we are uniquely placed to see the consequences of not delivering the homes that a local community needs and are committed to doing all we can, where we can, to help tackle the UK’s housing shortage. We look forward to welcoming our new customers to this up-and-coming new thriving community.”

Construction of the new homes will begin early in 2025 and will follow completion of the newly constructed Spine Road. The construction work will proceed in phases with the first properties planned to complete before Christmas 2025. The scheme is scheduled to be fully completed in the autumn of 2027.

As a company wholly owned by Rother District Council, RDCHC’s focus is on the provision of high-quality, energy efficient new homes for market sale and affordable housing tenure, to include affordable rent and low-cost home ownership/shared ownership. The announcement marks a major step forward for RDCHC in its ambition to deliver 1,000 high-quality homes within the district of Rother by 2037.

Full details about the scheme can be found at www.rother.gov.uk/housing/housing-development/blackfriars-site/