HCA supports multi-million pound housing estate

Flourish Homes has secured more than £8 million from the Homes and Communities Agency’s National Affordable Housing Programme towards their first major development in Frome which will see 133 new affordable homes built.

The news came in March, just a few weeks after Mendip District councillors gave us planning permission to replace 54 pre-cast reinforced concrete (PRC) homes at Singers Knoll and Randolph Road, in Frome, with 79 rented homes, a 36-unit extra care scheme and 18 homes for intermediate rent (below market levels).

“It’s tremendously exciting news for Flourish Homes. This is our biggest development to date and now that we have both planning permission and the funding in place it’s full steam ahead,” said Flourish’s Managing Director Alan Brunt.

“Frome’s a nice town to live in but homes there come with quite a price tag. There’s no doubt that affordable rented homes are much needed in this Somerset town and this scheme, which will cost in region of £17 million, will provide homes for 133 households who need them.”

Along with the Aster Group development team, we’ve worked with the residents who live on the estate and Westbury Partnerships to develop the site. Work is expected to start this Spring.

The redevelopment is part of a wider strategy we have for our 400 PRC homes. These homes are poorly insulated and expensive to maintain and improve. They often sit on large plots of ground which could accommodate more homes, giving us an excellent opportunity to use land we own to build modern, energy-efficient homes, which are easy to maintain and more economical to run for tenants, many of whom are on low incomes.