New affordable bungalows from believe housing are helping to address the needs of people on the social housing waiting list in County Durham.
The 10 new homes in Ramsey Crescent, Bishop Auckland, were so popular when they became available to rent in October that more than 500 people applied to live there.
The County Durham-based housing association designed the bungalows to help meet demand for accessible, energy-efficient homes in Bishop Auckland, where a quarter of applicants need to move home on medical grounds.
One of the North East’s oldest family-owned construction companies, T Manners & Sons, then built the eight two-bed bungalows and two three-bedroom dormer bungalows on the brownfield land.
Kate Abson, Director of Development at believe housing, said: “We know there is a longstanding shortage of the affordable housing the country needs but, by identifying an area’s needs and working with partners to address them, we are providing homes where people can live healthy, independent lives in an established community.
“Almost 2,000 customers want a home with us in the Bishop Auckland area, and 25% of them need to move on medical grounds.
“Alongside that, we know some older people need to move from a house into a bungalow and doing so would make their home available to families.
“Developments like our bungalows in Ramsey Crescent are a perfect example of us building affordable new homes to meet the specific needs of residents, regenerating disused land, and creating places where people can thrive.”
Ramsey Crescent was the fifth new-build scheme built for believe housing by Bishop Auckland-based T Manners & Sons, having previously work together to deliver new homes in Rookhope, St Helen Auckland, Peterlee, and Newton Hall, Durham.
Kate added: “We’re happy to have worked with T Manners & Sons again to deliver these beautiful bungalows. Working with a local business means our investment in homes and communities has the greatest benefit — supporting local jobs, the regional economy, and reducing our impact on the environment. And, importantly, customers in Ramsey Crescent are telling us they feel happy in their new homes.”
Wayne Harris, Construction Director at T Manners & Sons, said: “It was great to work on yet another design and build scheme providing new homes in the area with our valued client believe housing.
“The Ramsey Crescent project is in our home town of Bishop Auckland and is close to our head office. Our own local tradesmen and supply chain worked on the project with us which is good for the region’s economy. We hope to continue to develop our relationship with believe housing on future similar projects.”
Not-for-profit housing association believe housing has more than 18,000 homes across County Durham and beyond. It aims to deliver life without barriers through innovative support for customers, extensive community funding programmes, plus huge investment in building new homes and upgrading existing ones.
Header image: Wayne Harris, Construction Director at T Manners & Sons, with Kate Abson, Director of Development at believe housing, in Ramsey Crescent, Bishop Auckland, where tenants have settled into ten new affordable bungalows.
