£28m Thrybergh housing regeneration project progressing well

A £28million housing regeneration project is making progress in Thrybergh, Rotherham, with the signing of a contract to bring 237 energy efficient homes to the area.

Leading energy, services and regeneration specialist, ENGIE, will lead the transformation of derelict land at Whinney Hill and Chesterhill Avenue which has lain vacant for many years since the former dwellings were demolished.  This much anticipated new development has had strong local support from the start and has been granted funding from Homes England, the government’s housing agency.

ENGIE has brought together three partners to offer a mixed tenure proposition of 84 homes on behalf of Great Places Housing Group, 73 new homes for Sanctuary Homes (62 for rent and 11 shared ownership); as well as 80 homes for market rent through Wise Living. The land for the development was provided by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council as a strategic regeneration site.

The development is comprised of a mix of houses, bungalows and flats – ranging from one to four bedroom – and will all feature energy efficient boilers, high levels of insulation and air tightness and each plot will have the provision for EV charging points.

ENGIE will utilise a local supply chain to invest in the region’s economy during the build process, as well as pledging to create apprenticeship opportunities.

David Parkes, Managing Director for ENGIE’s Places & Communities division, said: “This is regeneration and partnership working in its truest form.  The council identified this brownfield land as a priority site to help meet local housing need, so we are delighted to bring together a range of partners to bring this vision to life. This new development will regenerate the area, offering much-needed new energy efficient homes, jobs and opportunities for local people.”

“At ENGIE we are committed to helping our partners in the transition to a net zero carbon future and projects such as this help us to make significant moves towards that goal. We have a longstanding relationship with Rotherham Council and are delighted to be bringing together a dedicated team, who will bring this vision to life.”

Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Dominic Beck, said: “I’m delighted that the Whinney Hill and Chesterhill Avenue sites will be developed to create much-needed homes in the borough. This development demonstrates what can be achieved through partnership working and I’d like to thank ENGIE for their investment in our community. This project marks a significant milestone in Rotherham’s 30-year Housing Strategy – providing high quality and energy-efficient homes for local people.”

Helen Spencer, Director of Development at Great Places, said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership to deliver this landmark development. This project will go some way to tackling the housing crisis in the local area, providing much needed homes and transforming this derelict site into a thriving new community.”

Rob Harbourne, Senior Development Manager at Sanctuary, said: “We are delighted to be working with ENGIE, Rotherham Council and other partners to deliver this exciting project that will breathe new life into this area of Rotherham.”

Mark Gratton, Land & Partnerships Director at Wise Living, said : “We’re really excited about getting underway with the proposed scheme in Rotherham which will see 237 new homes built. This is an area we feel will really benefit from quality new housing being delivered and with three partners all taking elements of the site to offer different tenures, this regeneration scheme should really meet the needs of all.

“This is our first scheme working together with ENGIE who we see as a key partner going forward in helping to deliver our ambitious aim of 2,000 decent homes and great places to live per annum, with a number of future sites in the pipeline together.”

The new homes have all been designed with energy efficiency in mind, which should result in lower energy bills while contributing to reducing carbon emissions in the area.

The project will take approximately two years to complete.

For further information on ENGIE, visit www.engie.co.uk/places