Rotherham Council is working in partnership with Allert Building and Construction Ltd. to deliver the very first homes to be brought through its Small Sites Homebuilder Initiative.
Launched in 2023, the initiative has been purposely designed to help local small and medium enterprise developers unlock sites for much needed new, high quality, affordable homes in the borough.
The scheme provides a fast-track route for developers to bring forward sites which they either own, or can acquire, with the Council committing to buy the homes off-plan for an agreed price before construction begins.
The Council can also offer staged payments at agreed intervals through the construction phase, to aid funding of the builds.
South Yorkshire based Allerts will be delivering seven new, high specification homes for the Council at Infirmary Road, Parkgate which, once complete, will be available for Council rent.
In addition to being energy efficient, the homes will also be future proofed through the inclusion of air-source heat pumps for the supply of heating and hot water to help reduce energy bills for tenants.
The new development is due to complete later this summer and will be named Blacksmiths Court, a nod to the site’s previous use as a horses paddock and farriers.
Karl Leatham from Allert’s said: “It has been a real pleasure working with Rotherham Council to deliver the first scheme under the new initiative, delivering much needed council homes. We look forward to working with the team again to deliver more affordable homes in the borough in the future.”
The new homes will support the Council’s pledge to deliver hundreds of new high-quality homes across the borough by 2026 through its Housing Delivery Programme.
Since January 2018, the Council has delivered 565 new homes for Council rent or shared ownership, and is in contract to deliver a further 85 homes.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Sarah Allen, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with local builders, Allert’s on this project. With the demand for Council Housing continuing to rise, it is vital that the Council looks at all opportunities to build good quality, affordable homes for our residents.”
The Council worked in collaboration with Local Partnerships to develop the initiative. Local Partnerships occupy a unique position in the public sector and provide capacity and capability to local authorities to meet the rising demand for services, including the provision of quality affordable homes.
Linda Raynor, Director of Place at Local Partnerships, said: “We are thrilled to see this initiative helping to unlock the delivery of quality affordable Council homes whilst simultaneously supporting the local SME sector to continue to play its role in meeting local housing needs.”
There is no closing date for the Small Site Housebuilding Initiative and the Council welcomes applications from all developers on any current or future schemes.
The Council is particularly keen to hear about developments which could complete by March 2026.
