Building work on 5 new affordable homes in Thetford for former rough sleepers is now underway.
We are delighted to be working on this project with Breckland Council, which has gifted the land – a former school car park on Elm Road, Thetford. Grant funding has come from Homes England via the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme.
The 5 x 1-bedroom homes (4 houses and 1 bungalow) have a timber frame design for speed of construction and to ensure low embodied carbon. Our partners, local firm H Smith of Honingham, are building the new homes, which will be energy-efficient, with air source heat pumps.
Access Community Trust will support the tenants with housing management and tenancy support services.
Councillor Chapman-Allen, the Leader of Breckland Council, and Councillor Gordon Bambridge, Executive Member for Housing & Homelessness at Breckland Council, joined our Chief Executive Michael Newey, at a ceremony to mark the start of work on the joint initiative.
I am delighted to see building work starting on this new partnership project within Breckland, aimed at supporting former homeless residents who need support to get back into long term accommodation. These new low-embodied-carbon buildings will complement the fantastic work already taking place at Elm House in Thetford, which is supporting local people in need of emergency accommodation.”
Councillor Gordon Bambridge, Executive Member for Housing & Homelessness, Breckland Council
This project is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations such as Breckland Council and Broadland Housing work together in partnership to tackle the problem of homelessness.
These much-needed energy-efficient homes will be built to the high quality standards we have for all our homes. By bringing back into use a piece of surplus land, we can ensure that more people leave the streets and can have a home to call their own.
Michael Newey, Chief Executive, Broadland Housing Association
The 5 new homes will be completed in early 2023.