Esh completes £3m affordable homes scheme

Esh Construction has completed a £3m affordable homes scheme in South Yorkshire.

It has handed over the 20 new properties at Fir View Gardens in Sheffield.

Working on behalf of Great Places Housing Group, the development has been delivered on a vacant piece of land off Osgathorpe Drive, close to the Earl Marshal Recreation Ground.

The two and three-bedroom homes have been built for affordable rent and maximise energy efficiency. 

Esh Construction’s operations director, Simon Woodward, said: “Fir View was the first contract we were awarded through the Innovation Chain North framework, and it’s proved a real success for Esh in delivering energy efficient homes while providing added benefit to the community through school engagement, volunteering and community funding.”

A social value plan has been delivered which has seen 133 weeks of employment delivered for residents within 10 miles of the site and 108 weeks of employment provided for previously unemployed people in the area. 

A further 250 learner hours were delivered in partnership with local schools and colleges while four full-time apprentices were hired, contributing to more than 230 apprentice training weeks during the project. 

“Throughout the build, we committed to making a difference in the community through our delivery of quality social value initiatives,” added Woodward.

“To see the economic and employment uptake within 10 miles of the development has been a real triumph for our teams and showcases our ongoing commitment to our communities in the Yorkshire region.”

Fir View Gardens is one of the developments Great Places Housing Group is delivering in South Yorkshire as part of the housing association’s commitment to build additional affordable homes in the area.

Other projects include 50 homes at Riverdale Park in Doncaster and 51 apartments at London Road close to Sheffield city centre.

Through Esh’s Greener Communities programme – which helps communities become greener by funding carbon reduction, environmental improvement, and education projects - a combined £6,500 was donated to Wybourn Allotment and Orchard Project, located just three miles from the new development. 

The scheme was delivered in partnership with Poole Dick Associates, Bowker Sadler Architects and Sutcliffe.