The first 20 new homes in the ground-breaking Beech Hill regeneration scheme in Halifax are nearing completion.
Delivered by Esh Construction’s affordable housing division, the Beech Hill development will see 106 new affordable homes delivered in partnership with Together Housing and Calderdale Council.
Work to build the new homes at Beech Hill started in late 2020 and the first 20 new homes for affordable rent are due to be fully completed in April 2023. The remaining 86 homes will be completed in three stages, starting in late summer, with all development work due to be complete by early 2024.
Simon Woodward, Operations Director at Esh Construction, said: “The Beech Hill development represents real change for the community and partnership working at its very best. As a local contractor, we have maximised the benefits of our local supply chain by re-investing more than £8.1 million into the Yorkshire region to date throughout the scheme. While this site has presented a number of challenges, we are proud to reach this key milestone and hand over 20 new homes for local people to start their next chapter.”
The scheme was named Large Residential Development of the Year at the Insider Yorkshire Property Industry Awards 2022 owing to the challenges that have been overcome from the outset and becoming a benchmark for other Yorkshire organisations dealing with difficult sites.
The topography of the land has posed many challenges to the team, with the lower site lying 20 meters below the upper site. Extensive remediation and enabling works have been undertaken with more than 30,000m³ of materials being excavated, crushed, screened and reused on site. 90 metres of gabion retaining walls and a NAUE retaining slope have also been installed.
Cllr Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience, said: “Nearing completion of the first new homes is a landmark moment for the Beech Hill transformation project. The longstanding ambition to regenerate the area is becoming a reality thanks to great partnership working through the Beech Hill Project Board and the Calderdale and Together Housing Investment Partnership. Overcoming the challenges of the site’s landscape, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis to deliver these homes is an amazing achievement.”
Hilary Brady, Together Housing Group Director of Development, said: “We’re delighted to mark this major milestone in the Beech Hill project. Through working with our partners, not only is this development bringing much-needed affordable housing to this part of Halifax, but it will also help to address the borough’s wider objectives to reduce inequalities, develop a thriving town and take climate action.
“As well as our funding partners Homes England and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, I’d also like to thank the residents we work with on the Beech Hill project board. Their feedback has been vital and they have helped us to maintain a strong relationship with the community. We look forward to seeing the remaining homes completed during the year.”
The new homes represent an investment of nearly £23 million into the area, and £2.197 million was secured from Leeds City Region Enterprise in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal; this was from a £1 billion package of Government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across the region. Five of the new homes will include bespoke adaptations to meet the needs of families with disabilities, funded through the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Esh was directly appointed to deliver the scheme via the Efficiency North Framework and is working in partnership with Watson Batty Architects, Alan Wood & Partners and CPC Project Services.
The Beech Hill development represents real change for the community and partnership working at its very best. As a local contractor, we have maximised the benefits of our local supply chain by re-investing more than £8.1 million into the Yorkshire region to date throughout the scheme. While this site has presented a number of challenges, we are proud to reach this key milestone and hand over 20 new homes for local people to start their next chapter.”
