28 new affordable homes completed in South Bank [Archived]

The new homes are designed for older people and those who need help to live independently, complete with level access and shower rooms.

Built for Thirteen by contractor Esh Construction, they are all for affordable rent. They have proved extremely popular with a high number of applications.

The scheme represents a total investment of £4.2m. This includes a grant of £500k from the Government's Brownfield Housing fund.

It is partly funded through Thirteen's £51.7m Strategic Partnership with Homes England. The Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 16-21 will see the delivery of more than 1,200 new homes by March 2026.

Thirteen's executive director of development, Joy Whinnerah, said:

"We're delighted to be able to expand our offer in South Bank, delivering much-needed bungalows and homes.

"We are really pleased with the final design and finish of the new homes. They are meeting our ageing population need and are supporting people to live independently.

"They are helping boost the area’s ongoing regeneration, and it has been a pleasure working with partners to deliver these new homes."

Esh Construction's operations director, Mark Binns, said:

"We are pleased to bring another successful project with Thirteen to completion that has delivered not only high-quality, affordable homes but also social and economic value for the local community.

"We pledged more than £18,000 to fund energy-saving upgrades to two void properties for South Bank Community Land Trust, provided 86 weeks of apprentice training within the Tees Valley, over 40% of the workforce were Tees Valley residents, and all operatives were from the North East region."