New affordable housing projects for two Dearne communities

Rotherham Council is behind all there developments, with four semi-detached bungalows being built on the site of the old Ship Inn pub in Swinton.

They will all be one-bedroomed, and work has now started on the development.

In West Melton, the council has two separate developments, with six two-bedroomed semi-detached houses going up on one site, and four one-bedroomed apartments on the other.

The council is using R H Fullwood and Co for the build, and they will use modern construction methods, meaning the homes will be ready for use more quickly than normal.

The swift build time should also help reduce the impact on the neighourhood during the building period.

They form part of the council’s commitment to provide large numbers of new homes across the borough, following decades of reducing numbers due to council house sales.

Some are being constructed for the council, some bought new from developers, with others acquired on the open market.

All the homes will feature green technology, including air-source heat pumps.

Council leader Chris Read said: “These developments are another step forward in our commitment to support local people with their housing needs by providing more affordable and high-quality council homes for local people to rent.

“We’re working hard to ensure that we continually adapt to the boroughs changing housing needs to offer a range of properties to residents including apartments, bungalows, and family homes, all with energy efficiency measures as standard.”

Fullwood’s director, Guy Fullwood said: “We are delighted to collaborate once again with Rotherham Council in delivering a diverse range of properties.

“This partnership allows us to create local employment opportunities, including the recruitment of a new apprentice, directly resulting from these initiatives. In line with our commitment to supporting the Rotherham area, we prioritise sourcing from local suppliers and subcontractors whenever possible”.

The project has been made possible with cash from the Government’s Affordable Housing Programme, to top up the council’s investment, through Homes England.

Since 2018 the council has been able to all 669 new homes for rent or shared ownership to its portfolio, though thousands remain on the waiting list for council housing.