Housebuilder kicks off Darlington development work

Doncaster-based developer Keepmoat Homes held a ceremony in Darlington yesterday (August 23) to officially launch a project that will see 81 new ‘health-focused’ properties built in the area.

The company will erect a mix of two, three and four-bed family houses at land on McMullen Road in the east of the town, including 12 ‘affordable’ homes. The first properties are expected to be finished towards the end of this year.

The work is the council’s first to take place under the NHS’s Healthy New Towns (HNT) programme, the objective of which is to build health into the design of new and regenerated communities. As part of this, Keepmoat has adopted a range of HNT design principles, including wheelchair-friendly layouts, accessible bathrooms and wide stairways.

A range of digital features have also been used in the plans, including smart meters and readers, electric car charging points and a central IT Hub that will display information on the estate and its surrounding areas.

The launch event was attended by representatives of Darlington Borough Council and Thirteen Housing Group, who are working closely with Keepmoat on the project.

The council’s Cabinet member for health, Andy Scott, said of the work: “Healthy New Towns has been a big plus in Darlington over the past two years.

“This high-quality housing development, and other projects that Healthy New Towns has supported, such as the successful South Park junior parkrun, will provide a lasting legacy to the impact of Healthy New Towns in Darlington.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graeme Parton .