News Ticker

Bedford set for new social housing through £16m scheme

MEETING residential property demand, work has completed on a new social housing scheme in Bedford, which will see the area benefit from 75 affordable homes.

The Saxon Park site, located on Dovecote Drive in Biddenham, provides prospective homeowners with flats, as well as terraced and semi-detached 2, 3, 4 and 5-bed homes just three miles from Bedford town centre.

The development, which was delivered by developer Dandara in partnership with Accent Housing, includes 51 new homes to rent and 24 under shared ownership, feeding into local housing strategy under Bedford Borough Council.

The new homes are situated alongside several development features, including a play area, bike storage and extensive green space, and have been carefully curated in line with the wider development landscape, with bat boxes and swallow nesting boosting biodiversity and wildlife efforts.

Multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard was behind the scheme, delivering clerk of works services in Biddenham as well as at an 18-unit site in Sharnbrook, ensuring the homes were designed to a high standard.

The firm was appointed by WT Partnership, working closely with Accent Housing and developer Dandara as part of a collaborative stakeholder strategy.

Dominic Edwards, building surveyor at Pick Everard, said: “This was a rewarding project to work on, ensuring quality in delivery of 75 sustainable and contemporary new homes in the heart of Bedfordshire.

“Meeting local housing need is a hugely demanding process, with coordination and planning absolutely key to ensuring community need is met and fulfilled at the highest level.

“We have long-standing relationships with both WT Partnership and Bedford Borough Council, and our work here was exemplary of the way in which stakeholders at all levels can work together to deliver a durable and attractive development that everyone can be proud of.

“We look forward to Saxon Park becoming a cornerstone of the community for generations to come.”

Paul Barham, assistant development director at Accent Housing, said: “We are committed to helping to solve the housing crisis by delivering high-quality, safe, and affordable homes. We employed WT Partnership and Pick Everard to help us achieve that aim on the Saxon Park site, Dovecote Drive, Biddenham. Their work, collaboratively with all stakeholders involved, ensured our customers have a place they can truly call home.”

As part of Pick Everard’s quality control process on site, a benchmark sample unit was instigated with developer Dandara, with each stakeholder collaborating on an agreed standard of workmanship.

Snagging issues and site photographs were maintained on a tablet device, ensuring site communication was seamless between the project team.

For more information on Pick Everard and the services it provides, visit: www.pickeverard.co.uk/