Vistry begins £50m Spennymoor resi

Work is under way on more than 180 houses off Whitworth Road in the County Durham town, 111 of them to be acquired by housing association Believe.

Vistry North East – part of the Vistry Group – is delivering the 187-home project, comprising two, three and four-bedroomed properties on an 18-acre site.

One of the region’s largest not-for-profit housing associations – believe housing – will acquire 111 of the homes, to be made available for affordable rent, rent to buy and shared ownership.

This will include 20 bungalows built for older members of the community.

Other three and four bedroomed homes on the scheme will be sold via the Linden Homes brand, with some plots available via the government’s First Homes scheme.

Properties at the development will all have air source heat pumps, solar PV panels, electric vehicle charging provision and an improved building fabric – to ensure they are energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions and future costs for residents.

The first homes are expected to be complete by early 2027.

Vistry North East will invest around £550,000 for improvement of adjacent open spaces, play infrastructure, education and healthcare.

Andrew Rennie, development director, Vistry North East, said: “We are delighted to be under way on our first development in Spennymoor.

“It is great to again be working with believe housing – following successful projects in Bishop Auckland and Peterlee – on an excellent project, which will improve the choice and quality of housing in the area.

“We feel that this mixed tenure model – including a selection of affordable homes, bungalows, properties perfect for first-time buyers and larger, family houses – will enhance an already vibrant community, whilst creating valuable job and training opportunities.”

Vistry NE senior development manager Michael Duffy and development
director Andrew Rennie with believe assistant director of developmen, Tom Winter.

Tom Winter, assistant director of development, believe housing, said the scheme will be believe’s largest project to date.

He added: “All properties will adhere to the standards outlined in our Future Homes roadmap, which sets clear ambitions to deliver homes around the core principles of energy efficiency, low carbon heating and renewable energy technologies.

“And importantly for believe housing, they will be the high quality, spacious, accessible, and energy efficient homes we know that people want to live in.”

Vistry Group encompasses a portfolio of retail brands, including Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Countryside Homes.

Vistry North East is currently active on 15 construction sites around the region and is working with six housing associations and seven local authorities.

Believe is one of the largest not-for-profit housing associations in the North East of England, with more than 18,000 homes and 600+ employees.