Happy New Year! We are pleased to advise that work will be starting on the site at Mackenzie Place later this month, and the first work you can expect to see will be the removal of the hedge along the front, the erection of site fencing and the establishment of the contractor’s site compound. Residents living next to the site will be contacted directly by the Site Manager from SEH Construction so that you have the relevant name and contact details should you have any queries or concerns.
When I last wrote for your newsletter I provided information about the shared ownership homes that are being built and this month I would like to provide you with information about the self-build opportunities that will be available on the site towards the end of 2020.
As part of the first phase of construction, Orwell will be providing the services connections and main roads to serve five plots of land upon which individual homes can be built. The plots have outline planning permission for detached houses and will in the first instance be offered for sale by Suffolk County Council to local people who would like to have the exciting opportunity to build or procure their own home in the village. Sales will be conditional on the buyers living in the house themselves for a specified number or years and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) will not be payable if the houses remain occupied by the original buyer for a specified number of years. A further four larger self-build plots will be available in a later phase of the development.
Building your own home is incredibly rewarding and can be easier than you may think! Some self-builders don’t lay the bricks themselves but manage professionals to provide their house for them, whilst others with building skills and experience may well do some of the construction work themselves. If you don’t want to be this hands-on then commissioning a custom build house to be built on the plot could be an alternative route for you. More information on self-build and custom build can be found at www.selfbuildportal.org.uk.
We will also be featuring details and further information on the self-build plots at the information event we are planning to hold in the village. This will be in the Spring of this year and will be in partnership with the Parish Council, with the aim of providing you with the opportunity to come and talk to us and other organisations who are involved in the allocation of all the types of properties in phase 1. In the meantime, if you’d like to note your interest in a self-build plot, please contact Brian Prettyman at Suffolk County Council Corporate Property on 01473 264101 or by email at brian.prettyman@suffolk.gov.uk.
Dawn Edwards
Development Manager
Orwell Housing Association
