March 2024 marks the completion of our five-year development strategy and the launch of our New Homes Delivery Strategy
As 45 households moved into their brand-new GCH home in March 2024, we can mark the completion of our five-year development strategy. Between 2019-2024, GCH has delivered 446 new homes in and around Gloucester.
25 one- and two-bedroom flats in Northgate and three family homes and one bungalow at Hartpury in the Forest of Dean were built by Aqua Construction Ltd. Meanwhile at Henley Bank in Brockworth, the keys to 16 homes were handed over for a mix of family homes and one-bedroom flats, built by Lane Britton Jenkins.
Michael Hill, Executive Director of Customer Experience at GCH said “These affordable new homes will provide a firm foundation for people to build their lives on and thrive. The high specification in building for sustainability and energy-efficiency will make them more affordable to run for our customers.”
In our New Homes Delivery Strategy 2024 – 2029 we have committed to building at least 390 new, high-quality, affordable homes in the heart of the communities we serve. All new properties will use sustainable energy sources and achieve the highest energy efficiency rating possible – EPC A.
In addition to that, we will spend £19m on energy efficiency improvements to our existing properties to ensure all homes have an energy-efficiency rating of at least EPC C by 2030. And we have started a two-year programme to freshen up the communal areas of our blocks of flats across the city by replacing worn flooring and repainting walls.
Over the next strategy period, we will reduce our reliance on traditional construction techniques, oil-based and non-recyclable products to reduce waste and pollutants. We also aim to improve the design of new homes with a specific focus on customer accessibility and building inclusive communities. One of the ways we plan to do this is through increased resident involvement in the design stages of development. Over half of the homes planned to be built in the next five years will be delivered in Podsmead and Kingsholm.
“Economic uncertainties have increased development costs, while the need to improve the energy efficiency of our homes has placed additional pressure on the business,” explains Michael Hill. “We will continue to innovate, building high-quality homes that generate growth, while maintaining financial discipline and capacity to meet our other commitments, such as improving our existing properties and estates.”
The report: The economic impact of building social housing is published by homeless charity Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF). It claims a £51.2 billion benefit to the economy through building 90,000 social homes – the figure that needs to be built each year to fix the housing crisis and help end homelessness. This is calculated from savings on housing benefit, Universal Credit and the NHS as well as income generated by a boost to the construction industry.