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Demolition teams have moved in on outdated council homes at Woolpit and Stowmarket, Suffolk, which are set to make way for much-needed brand-new modern homes for affordable rent.
Representatives from Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils, Orbit Homes and affordable housing developer Lovell attended events marking the official start of demolition work.
Representatives from Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils join representatives from Lovell and Orbit Homes to celebrate the start of demolition at St Mary's Road, Stowmarket.
Excavators have begun taking down eight Unity post-war pre-cast concrete properties at Steeles Road, Woolpit, in preparation for the Lovell construction team to start building the brand-new Orbit East housing development for Orbit Homes. The new homes will be built on the site of the demolished houses and on land off Steeles Road.
The Woolpit scheme will create four one-bedroom flats; eight two-bedroom houses, 10 three-bedroom houses and three four-bedroom houses. All the properties will be for affordable rent. The scheme includes 46 parking spaces as well as changes to the road layout to create a cul-de-sac style development.
Demolition work is also in progress at St Mary's Road, Stowmarket, where four Unity houses and 34 garages will be replaced with 14 brand-new homes for affordable rent: two one-bedroom flats, 10 two-, three- and four-bedroom houses and two two-bedroom bungalows. The new housing will be managed by Orbit East.
The new Woolpit and Stowmarket homes will achieve high levels of energy-efficiency, meeting Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The Unity homes which are being demolished are of non-standard construction and fail to meet the Council’s Decent Homes Standard which requires properties to be warm and weather tight with modern facilities.
Laura Handford, Orbit Homes regional development manager, said: "It's really good to be involved in this project especially as we will be providing quality homes for existing and new residents. We are working alongside Mid Suffolk District Council to ensure minimal disruption to the existing residents and looking forward to starting on phase two."
(CD/MH)
