News

Eight new affordable homes in the heart of Kings Lynn have now been completed. This exciting innovative project saw the regeneration an existing commercial building into 8 new homes by adding a timer framed second floor.

Broadland in partnership with Homes England, Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council and local developer Dwellings4U created 4 new flats on the existing first floor, which was formally office space. A further 4 flats were created with the addition of the second floor. All flats have an EPC rating of B.

All 8 flats will be available at social rent.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive at Broadland Housing said

This is a really good example of how you can use a creative approach to take a largely disused building and turn it into much-needed affordable homes. We are delighted to be able to offer these homes at a social rent, which means they will be genuinely affordable for the local people

Craig Roberts of Dwellings4U, which is based in the town, said that the building had presented a number of challenges. 

We have added a timber framed extra floor on top the steel frame of the existing building.  We found that very few right angles, so it has not been straightforward, but we are very pleased to have delivered eight new homes for Broadland Housing

Gardening Competition 2025 – Now open for entries!

Do you love your garden? Why not enter our annual Gardening Competition? You could win up to £50!

Entry is open until 6 June 2025 to all Broadland Housing residents.

Competition Categories

• Best Garden – Does your garden have the ‘wow’ factor? Judges will be looking for a variety of plants in different colours and shapes, and ornaments used to good effect.
• Best Small Garden – We want to see the best use of space, and a good variety of plants or flowers in the space available.
• Best Communal Garden – Do you have a garden that’s shared and used by residents at your scheme? We would love to see how the garden benefits you and your neighbours.
• Best Patio, Courtyard or Balcony – Even in the smallest outdoor space, we want to see the creative ways you have been planting.
• Best Hanging Baskets  – These should be really colourful, with lots of different varieties of plants, not forgetting some greenery.

Prizes for each category:
1st place – £20 voucher of choice
2nd place – £10 voucher of choice

An overall winner will receive a £50 voucher of choice and every entrant will receive a certificate!

The closing date for entries is 6 June 2025. Entry is open to Broadland Housing residents only. Judging will take place in-person between 1 – 2 July 2025.

Here are some of our winners and runners up from the Gardening Competition 2024:

A traditional topping out ceremony marked a milestone in delivering 5 new affordable net zero homes in Salthouse with local beer being poured over the roof tiles.

Broadland’s chief executive, Michael Newey, joined Jonathan Smith, commercial director of constructor Smith of Honingham, on the roof of the first of the new homes to be made watertight to perform the ceremony.

They were watched by representatives from North Norfolk District Council and Homes England, which together with Broadland Housing has formed a partnership to create a package of five ‘local need exception housing’ schemes to deliver much-needed affordable homes for local people across the North Norfolk district.

The new homes in Purdy Street in the village, will be operationally carbon net zero, a high level of energy efficiency which uses air source heat pumps, treble glazed windows, enhanced insulation and air tightness, along with mechanical ventilation, heat recovery systems to reduce energy demand, offset by renewable energy generated by photovoltaic panels.  Properties will also have their own electric vehicle charging points.

The new homes have been designed to fit into Salthouse’s existing aesthetic, with extensive use of flint, and in the style of a converted farmyard.  They comprise two two-bedroom bungalows, one three-bedroom houses and two two-bedroom houses.

When allocating the new homes, priority will be given to people who have a connection with Salthouse and its adjoining villages, under a ‘local lettings’ policy.

Mr Newey said:

Right across North Norfolk, villages are in critical need of affordable housing so that local people can live and work in their local communities.

This is a very good example of a scheme which is delivering exactly those kind of homes, designed to fit the local aesthetic of the existing village, and carbon net zero so that the impact on the environment is minimised.  Due to the homes being carbon net zero these will also be affordable for our residents to live in.

Following consultation with the local community, we have used flint in the construction so that the new homes blend into Salthouse’s Conservation Area and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
_{Michael Newey, Chief Executive}

Cllr Wendy Fredericks, deputy leader of North Norfolk District Council and portfolio holder for housing and people services, added:

I am incredibly excited that Broadland Housing Association has taken this opportunity to build affordable homes for those living and working in the area who are in need of safe quality accommodation which is cheap to run and aesthetically pleasing.
_{Cllr Wendy Fredericks, North Norfolk District Council}

Cllr Victoria Holliday, who is the North Norfolk district councillor for Salthouse and also sits on Salthouse Parish Council, said:

I am thrilled to be able to welcome five households to the village, and so glad that people who were brought up here have a chance to live in Salthouse which might not otherwise have been possible.
_{Cllr Victoria Holliday, North Norfolk District Council}

The new homes are being built by Smith of Honingham. Commercial director Jonathan Smith said,

We are delighted once again to be working in partnership with Broadland Housing, delivering these much needed homes for local people.
_{Jonathan Smith, Smith of Honingham}

The new homes are due to be completed in June 2025, and will then be allocated  with priority given to those with connections to Salthouse and adjoining villages.  The homes will be advertised nearer to completion; anyone wishing to apply should visit www.north-norfolk.gov.uk.

Great Yarmouth Borough council, Broadland Housing Association and Orwell Housing have submitted plans for almost 100 new homes at The Conge in the town centre.

The planning application comes after the three organisations last year formed a strategic partnership with the ambitious aim of regenerating the key gateway site linking the railway station and the Market Place in Great Yarmouth.

The application reveals details for the development of 82 high-quality new town houses and apartments which, subject to permission being granted, will provide vital new energy-efficient and spacious homes.

Councillor Carl Smith, the leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: ‘

We are incredibly excited by what the regeneration of The Conge will mean for local people. This key location has been neglected for some time and this redevelopment is part of our broader regeneration strategy for the borough.

‘’Broadland and Orwell are award-winning housing associations and have a proven track record of delivering and managing high-quality homes and places. They bring a wealth of expertise and resources to progress the development of this key area of the town centre.

In a joint statement Andrew Savage, Broadland’s executive director development, and Greg Dodds, Orwell’s assistant director of development and growth, said:

Orwell and Broadland are both locally based and have a long track record of providing quality homes for rent and sale across Norfolk and Suffolk. We are delighted to bring forward this iconic site in the centre of Great Yarmouth as the first project under the partnership. The application at The Conge will help to transform a brownfield site into high-quality, well-designed and attractive housing. These much-needed homes in the town centre will be energy efficient to heat for the local people, and sustainable for future generations who will live there

The first residents have moved into one of seven new carbon net zero affordable homes in Hindringham. The homes have been made available to local families with a connection with the village.

New Residents

Cameron and Tyra Warnes received their keys from Cllr Wendy Fredericks, Deputy Leader of North Norfolk District Council, and Katie Docherty, Senior Local Delivery Manager at Broadland.

The couple had waited nine years on the housing list between them. They had been living with their six year-old son and 19 month-old daughter in a cramped and expensive private rented home in Fakenham.

Mr and Mrs Warnes, who both grew up close to the village, say that the new home has transformed their life.

At our house in Fakenham we never felt really safe, but here is totally different… Hindringham is a beautiful, calm village, and everyone is friendly… The moment we saw the house it felt like home. We stood outside having a coffee and you could hear a pin drop – a total contrast to where we were living before.
_{Mrs Warnes, New Resident}

Mr Warnes, who works as a postman, added:

When we received a call to offer us the home, we didn’t really believe it. I think we expected it to be rabbit-hutchy, but when we opened the door it took our breath away. And we have a garden overlooking fields – it’s such a better place to bring up the kids.

The fact that the home is energy-efficient is making a big difference too. When we rang British Gas and out that our energy payment was only going to be £45 a month, we were really pleased.
_{Mr Warnes, New Resident}

Now the couple is planning to host both families for their first Christmas in their new home.

Design & Energy Efficiency

The two-bedroom bungalow is one of seven homes built on an infill plot opposite the village school Hindringham. They have been designed in the style of a former farmhouse and converted barns so that they sit sympathetically with the local village landscape, using traditional materials like timber and flint.

The new affordable homes boast a range of energy-efficiency technologies including air source heat pumps, photovoltaic panels, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems and air tightness. As a result, they will be net zero operational carbon.

Funding for Affordable Homes in Hindringham

Funding for the project came from BHA and North Norfolk District Council, along with Homes England as part of a wider package to build six local needs exception housing schemes across the district.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, commented:

The demand we have already seen for these seven homes in Hindringham shows that affordable housing is very much needed in village communities across North Norfolk.

The local lettings policy which applies to this site means that priority has been given to families who have a connection with Hindringham and the surrounding villages, ensuring that these new homes will be a genuine asset to the local community.
_{Michael Newey, Chief Executive}