Broadland Housing Association

Homes, community & support since 1963

    • News

    Broadland wins ‘Client of the year’ award

    Broadland has been named ‘Client of the year’ in the Norfolk Constructing Excellence 2019 awards. Our Head of Development Delivery, Alex Williamson, was also recognised as a future leader in construction.

    Constructing Excellence is the UK industry body committed to transforming the way construction is delivered in the UK. The awards celebrate innovation and best practice through collaborative working and supply chain integration.

    Architects Ingleton Wood nominated Broadland as Client of the year in the Norfolk Constructing Excellence awards.  We have built a strong partnership with Ingleton Wood through working together on numerous construction projects, most recently Canary Quay in Norwich.

    We were also pleased that Alex Williamson, our Head of Development Delivery, achieved third place in the ‘Future leader in construction’ category. Since he joined Broadland in 2018, Alex has been helping us to raise quality and design standards and transform attitudes in the sector.

    Celebrating 60 new flats at Canary Quay

    Broadland ‘topped out’ the first block of its Canary Quay scheme today, celebrating this exciting new community development.  The celebration marked a key milestone in the delivery of 60 new social rented flats in Norwich, with the structure complete and “just” the internal fitting left to do before families move in during September.

    The 1- and 2-bedroom apartments were partly funded by Norwich City Council, with proceeds of Right to Buy sales. By spring 2020 Broadland will have built a total of 323 homes at Canary Quay, a mix of affordable/intermediate rent and open market properties.

    Joining Broadland directors and staff for the topping out were James Carter, Director of construction company RG Carter, and representatives from architects Ingleton Wood and consulting engineers Rossi Long.

    • Michael Newey and Andrew Savage

    Michael Newey, Broadland’s Group Chief Executive, said:

    This is an exciting day for Broadland. We will be providing high-quality homes for people who need them the most, at rents they can afford, near to the city centre. Canary Quay will transform a space that was neglected and derelict into a vibrant new living quarter for Norwich.  We have been particularly delighted with our enduring partnership with R G Carter for over 50 years, and this scheme is another great example of how working together we are able to improve lives for people in Norfolk.

    Mario Rackham, Director and General Manager at RG Carter, said:

    After months of building at Canary Quay, the topping out ceremony is a great opportunity for us to welcome local stakeholders to enjoy a first look at the progress that has been made, and to thank everyone involved. We look forward to completing this fantastic project, which will help transform the riverside area, as well as provide high-quality housing that will serve the local community for years to come.

    Canary Quay construction will continue throughout 2019-20:

    • Phase 2 – 89 flats (55 open market, to be built by our Broadland St Benedict arm , and 34 for intermediate rent)
    • Phase 3 – 73 flats (affordable rent)
    • Phase 4 – 101 flats (affordable rent, open market and discounted market sale)

    The Canary Quay site was originally bought from Norwich City Football Club as two separate landholdings. Complex planning negotiations with Norwich City Council continued over a number of years. Broadland also worked with the Broads Authority to protect the natural habitats on the riverbank and ensure the future sustainability of the site. 

    All the homes for rent at Canary are being allocated in partnership with Norwich City Council. The market sales properties will be handled by Savills.

    Easter fun at Shipfield!

    Children living at our Shipfield scheme in Norwich were in for a treat when we held an open day at the community centre this week. The fun started with an Easter egg hunt, followed by some creative birdbox painting and a planting out session.

    The birdboxes had been made from recycled carpentry offcuts by our Estate Services team. The team also helped the children plant out some colourful spring flowers to brighten up the scheme.

    The open day was a chance for Shipfield tenants to talk to members of our Housing and Repairs teams about issues at the scheme. Our Tenancy Support team was on hand to help with money or employment issues.

    Tenants were also able to take advantage of a 48-hour rubbish ‘amnesty’. Our Estate Services team allocated a designated area for large household items, and recycled the waste free of charge for tenants.

    Work starts on 12 new affordable homes in Edgefield

    Work has started to build 12 new affordable homes and 10 open market homes in Edgefield, near Holt – and the affordable homes will be prioritised for local people once they are completed next year.

    Broadland Housing Group executive development director Andrew Savage joined Paul Pitcher from contractor Wellington to cut the first sod at the site, on Holt Road on the northern edge of the village.

    The £3.6 million project, which is due for completion in the summer of 2020, will provide 9 new homes for affordable rent and three for shared ownership, as well as 10 new open market homes.

    “We are very excited to be here in Edgefield celebrating the start of construction of 22 much-needed new homes,” said Mr Savage. 

    Paul Pitcher and Andrew Savage

    “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wellington on giving the local people of Edgefield the opportunity to remain in the village with nine homes for affordable rental, as well as an opportunity to get on the housing ladder with three shared ownership properties”

    The new homes are being built by Lowestoft-based contractor Wellington, which has a long track record of delivering affordable homes for housing associations and local authorities in the region. 

    Managing director Paul Pitcher said, “We are delighted to be breaking the ground at this site and starting to build these new homes in the village. 

    “As a locally-based firm, we take great pride in building top quality affordable homes in the area, and we have done so at many sites across Norfolk and Suffolk.  Not only is this providing much needed homes for local people, but it is also creating employment for local people as well.”

    Broadland is ASCP ‘Electrical contractor of the year’ finalist

    Broadland Housing has been shortlisted for the ASCP ‘Electrical Contractor of the Year’ category in one of the sector’s most sought-after awards.

    The ASCP Safety & Compliance Awards reward outstanding individuals and organisations who go the extra mile to ensure safe and compliant working practices to safeguard tenants, staff and property, finding new or innovative ways to improve living environments and communities. 

    The Broadland electrical team, led by Gerry Claxton, was shortlisted for its achievements in 2018, which include designing and rewiring 2 large sheltered housing schemes and installing a new fire alarm system. The team has also been installing smart heating controls into tenants’ homes with a low-energy rating. All the work was done by Broadland’s in-house team, where previously the work would have gone out to subcontractors. Broadland has invested heavily in training for the workforce, and the electrical team recently gained membership of the ECA. This is in addition to its ongoing NICEIC Approved Contractor registration. The team has also recently achieved BAFE SP203-4 emergency lighting accreditation and has applied for BAFE accreditation for fire alarms.

    Claire Heyes, Chief Executive of the Association of Safety and Compliance Professionals (ASCP) said:

    “The ASCP Safety & Compliance awards recognise the achievements of inspirational individuals and organisations within the social housing and facilities management sectors. A record number of high-quality entries were received this year for the ASCP Safety & Compliance awards, so a well-deserved congratulations goes to all those shortlisted, it is a great achievement!”

    The Awards show is one of the highlights of the ASCP Safety & Compliance Conference & Exhibition, taking place on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th April 2019.

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