Great Places Housing Group hosted Stockport MP, Navendu Mishra, on a visit to a specialist housing scheme and recent affordable housing developments in his constituency.
Mr Mishra was joined by Great Places’ Chief Executive Alison Dean, Executive Director of Growth Helen Spencer, and representatives from Homes England’s Affordable Housing Delivery team.
The first part of the visit was at Runnymede Court, a Great Places’ Extra Care Scheme for people over 55 in Edgeley, where the group met with customers and staff, followed by a tour of the communal facilities which include a lounge, laundry, guest room, gardens and hairdressing salon. The scheme also benefits from on-site and technology enabled care which offers 24/7 support in emergencies.
Moving on, the group then went on a progress visit at Great Places’ Platform development on King Street West. The £16.4 million flagship project, being constructed by Hargreaves Contracting, is situated in the heart of the Stockport Mayoral Corporation Town Centre West regeneration area, which will form a new gateway in the town centre with 3,500 homes and more than 1m sq. ft. of commercial space. The new homes, branded as ‘Platform’, along with Great Places upcoming nearby project at Chestergate, will form a key part of the area’s residential offering contributing to the long-term development of the new neighbourhood, which will benefit from the attractions in the town centre whilst adding to the wider sustainability of the area.
Part-funded by Homes England, Platform offers 73 one and two-bed apartments available through Rent to Buy, marketed and let by Plumlife Homes (part of Great Places Housing Group). Rent to Buy provides the opportunity to save a deposit through reducing the rent to 80 per cent of market rent for at least five years. If residents choose to then buy their home, the product is designed to ensure they have the deposit saved and options available to facilitate their purchase.
The tour concluded at Great Places’ recently completed Poplars development in Heaton Mersey. Delivered in partnership with Breck Homes, the £24 million development of 106 new homes (also part-funded by Homes England), offers a mix of two, three, and four-bed houses and apartments for shared ownership, social rent and market sale.
Commenting on the visit, Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport, said:
Today’s visit to Great Places’ developments was truly inspiring. It was great to see the hard work and dedication that goes into providing quality, affordable housing for Stockport residents. The Runnymede Court Extra Care Scheme, the innovative Platform project, and the Poplars development all showcase Great Places’ commitment to building vibrant, sustainable communities in the borough. The support from Homes England and the collaboration with various partners also highlighted the importance of partnership work in meeting our community’s housing needs and ensuring everyone in Stockport has access to safe, affordable, and welcoming homes.
Alison Dean, Chief Executive of Great Places Housing Group:
We were delighted to have had the opportunity to host Mr Mishra on a visit to our developments and see firsthand the efforts we are making to provide high-quality, affordable housing in Stockport, and how the projects reflect our commitment to creating vibrant, sustainable communities. We are grateful for the continued support from Homes England and our partners, which enables us to continue delivering homes that meet the diverse needs of our customers.
Caption: Executive Director of Growth Helen Spencer, Neil Ashworth (Hargreaves Contracting); Kate Collins and Ruth Ryan (Homes England); Great Places Housing Group Chief Executive Alison Dean; Navendu Mishra (MP for Stockport)
