News MBC committed to deliver 1,000 affordable homes
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) has commenced an ambitious project to build 1,000 new affordable homes in the borough and has started to make positive strides to achieve this.
MBC recognises the need for more affordable housing in the area and is determined that those in the local community who may not be able to afford to buy or rent privately have the opportunity to live in one of these new affordable homes.
In order to achieve this the Council has recently made three appointments to its external consultant team, all of which will now work together over the coming years to take forward a variety of development projects.
The firms appointed by MBC are as follows:
- BPTW as the Architects
- Calfordseaden as the Employer’s Agent (QS, Project Management, Clerk of Works and Principal Designer)
- Red Loft as the Housing Development Consultants
These three firms were appointed through a rigorous procurement process and have already started to work with MBC on a range of exciting development opportunities. The intended benefits of working with the same three firms for the duration of the programme is to achieve a partnering ethos over the coming years, continuous improvement on a project-by-project basis, to maximise innovation (to include the realising the potential of Modern Methods of Construction), as well as achieving the best overall value to the Council.
Cllr Simon Webb, Lead Cabinet Member for Housing and Health at Maidstone Borough Council said:
“I am very excited about these appointments, as Maidstone will be working with market leaders in the field of housing development. I am sure that they will help the Council to deliver our targets, and perhaps most importantly help us build some of the highest-quality new homes in the borough.”
BPTW Partner, Chris Bath said:
“BPTW is thrilled to have been appointed as lead architect to support Maidstone Borough Council in the delivery of its ambitious affordable housing programme. We applaud the Council for its approach to this framework which will enable a streamlined development process, ensuring consistency and continuity of knowledge, with a committed team over the long term to drive quality and efficiency.“We look forward to working closely with MBC, Red Loft and Calfordseaden to deliver much needed high-quality homes and fantastic places for the borough over the next few years.”
Danny Sutcliffe, Partner at Red Loft, commented:
“We are delighted to be supporting MBC on this landmark project to deliver much-needed housing across a multitude of tenures for the area. Together with a range of other consultants, we look forward to delivering and supporting the Council on its mission to deliver the best quality new homes for the area.”
James Cowling from Calfordseaden added:
“We are pleased to be supporting the Council with the delivery of 1,000 new affordable homes for local residents.“As part of the external consultant team, Calfordseaden will be providing Employer’s Agent Services (inc. Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Clerk of Works and Principal Designer) to support MBC on this ambitious affordable housing programme.
“Collaboration is key to delivering more quality housing, and we look forward to working closely with MBC, BPTW and Red Loft over the next few years.”
The 1,000 affordable houses will be part of the overall Maidstone housing target which has been set by the Government, not over or above that.
Enabling Infrastructure is one of the four priorities of Maidstone Borough Council and this project reflects that.
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