Abri and Wates Residential celebrate the official completion of the new site with partners Homes England and local Gosport council
Abri, one of the south’s largest housing providers and Wates Residential celebrate the official completion of the Daedalus Village scheme, which has seen 200 new homes built at pace at the historic Daedalus site in Lee-on-the-Solent.
The site is part of an initiative designed to enable the Government to fast-track the building of homes on publicly owned land and diversify housing delivery.
Wates Residential, part of Wates Group who were chosen by Homes England to act as the delivery partner for the scheme, which has dramatically increased the number of new homes available for local people.
Abri and Wates Residential were joined by Homes England, the local Mayor and Council Leader, to commemorate the occasion with the unveiling of a new heritage board, celebrating the historic past of the former Royal Naval Air Station and the vital role it played in Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944, when it was the busiest UK airfield on D-Day.
The site provides a mix of housing, with 120 private homes and 80 affordable homes, with Abri, recently named as a strategic partner of Homes England, responsible for managing the shared ownership properties on the site. The new homes have proved a great success, with all homes sold and residents moved in. The completion of the new homes forms part of Abri’s commitment to building at least 10,000 new homes over the next decade.
In addition to delivering crucial housing, the project boosted the local economy through the appointment of local suppliers and the creation of training and educational opportunities. Wates Residential recruited a workforce made up of 41% local people, engaged with 839 young people via educational projects, in addition to hosting work experience placements and courses aimed at unemployed adults in the local area throughout the project.
Daedalus Village received unanimous support from borough council planning bosses, with approval given from Gosport Borough Council’s Regulatory Board at a meeting in May 2018. Gosport Borough Council has also given the green light for Wates Residential to build an extension to the Daedalus Village, with 20 additional homes.
Martine Sneddon, Sales Manager at Abri said:
“It’s been great working with Homes England and Wates on these first 200 homes. The power of collaboration is invaluable to the housing sector and Daedalus Village is an excellent example of what can be accomplished by working together.
“Delivering these homes with Wates and Homes England has been really rewarding and this partnership approach is one which we hope to replicate on many other projects in the future. Abri has recently been named as one of Homes England’s strategic partners which will allow us to continue to work in partnership to build even more much needed homes.”
Helen Bunch, Executive Managing Director at Wates Residential, said:
“Our goal was to help transform a historic landmark which had fallen into disrepair into an attractive and authentic development that reflects the historic character of the area. Through our work, we not only delivered 200 new high quality homes for local people but also increased opportunities in the area through our investment in education, training and skills.
“We are looking forward to continuing our work at Daedalus with the next phase of the project to continue to create a viable future for the Daedalus Village development and rejuvenate the local area."
Alison Crofton, Head of Planning and Enabling at Homes England, added:
“The completion of Daedalus Village will provide much needed new homes for local people in Lee-on-the-Solent, transforming an historic site into new neighbourhood.
“We’re committed to working with partners who share our vision to create quality homes at pace where they’re needed most, and look forward to seeing the next phase of the village develop.”
