GCH delivers 25 new homes for social rent in King’s Quarter

The new one- and two-bedroom flats are part of the Forum development: the biggest urban regeneration scheme in the city in the last 15 years.

Gloucester City Homes is handing over the keys to 25 new homes at Northgate Mansions. The new development has been delivered in partnership with Gloucester City Council as part of the multi-million-pound Forum development.

The one- and two-bedroom flats were built by Aqua Construction to a high energy-efficiency rating and includes a green roof for sustainable drainage and cleverly designed bike storage for residents.

What’s more, the homes will be available for social rent. Social rent offers the most security and stability for low to moderate income households who might otherwise struggle to find a place to live in high-cost urban areas. Social rents are tied to local incomes and on average, are around 50% cheaper than private rents.

Michael Hill, Executive Director of Customer Experience from GCH said: “It is a really proud moment for GCH to launch Northgate Mansions at such a key site in the city. Truly affordable housing like this improves health and education outcomes and enhances overall community stability and well-being.  And because these homes are right in the city centre, with rail and transport links literally on the doorstep, they are ideal for modern, sustainable living. These new homes will open doors for employment inside and outside the city.”

Councillor Richard Cook, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: “We are committed to increasing the number of affordable homes in the city as part of the multi-million pound regeneration taking place across Gloucester.  These new apartments, a key part of the Forum project, will go some way to achieving that along with the new urban village at St Oswalds that will see 100 homes for social rent, and 100 sold under shared ownership.”

Jason Wasley, managing director of Aqua Construction, said: “It has been fantastic to work on such a key building central to the regeneration of the city. All the team are proud to have been involved and it highlights how far we have come as a company and showcases what Aqua can deliver in such a prestigious location. The project is testament in the ongoing partnerships Aqua has with Gloucester City Homes, the architect and planning, also many local suppliers, sub-contractors and trades throughout the county.”

Derek Gibbs, construction director at Aqua added: “It has been a very technical build from the foundations up, working around historic archaeological remains on site and designing the 124-tonnes steel frame. The result is an impressive building at the heart of the city, uplifting the area and adding to the regeneration of the King’s Quarter.”

The development comes just as a new report: The economic impact of building social housing  is published by homeless charity Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF). It claims a £51.2 billion benefit to the economy through building 90,000 social homes – the figure that needs to be built each year to fix the housing crisis and help end homelessness. This is calculated from savings on housing benefit, Universal Credit and the NHS as well as income generated by a boost to the construction industry.

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk