Durkan wins contract with Clarion Housing Group to deliver new homes in West Ealing
Durkan, a leading London and Home Counties housebuilder, has been appointed by Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest provider of affordable housing, to deliver the second phase of the regeneration of Sherwood Close in West Ealing, London. Over the next two years, Durkan will construct four apartment blocks, creating over 100 mixed-tenure affordable homes, as well as a new community space for use by residents.
Originally built in the 1970s, the regeneration of Sherwood Close will create a vibrant neighbourhood with high quality, spacious homes for both existing and new residents. The new four to seven storey apartment blocks will have green roofs, and photovoltaic panels will provide a source of renewable energy. Durkan will also landscape the development, including a communal courtyard, and create a parking area for residents.
As a sustainable housebuilder, Durkan will be working closely with both Clarion Housing Group and Ealing Council to create long-term training and employment opportunities for local residents. Working with Clarion Futures, Clarion Housing Group’s charitable foundation, Durkan will be running a programme of pre-employment training, work experience and learning support to prepare local candidates for the nineteen job opportunities and apprenticeships that the project will bring. Durkan has also committed to supporting Clarion Futures’ drive to enable all residents to get online safely and confidently.
Jim Briggs, Managing Director of Construction, Durkan, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Clarion Housing Group to create much needed high-quality new homes for the residents of Sherwood Close.
“Our aim is always to have a positive, lasting impact on the communities around our construction sites and so the work we’ll be doing together with Clarion and Ealing Council to provide meaningful training programmes is a critical part of the project. With homes built during the regeneration’s first phase already occupied, we’ll also be working closing with the resident liaison team to ensure the local community is kept updated and any impacts are minimised.”
Paul Quinn, Director of Regeneration for Clarion Housing Group, said: “We are thrilled to have Durkan on board to build these high quality affordable homes for new and existing residents at Sherwood Close. The new homes were designed with involvement from residents, neighbours and Ealing Council, with an emphasis on tackling the lack of family sized homes and providing facilities for a vibrant community. We are particularly impressed with Durkan’s commitment to the local community, to provide training and employment opportunities and building a new community facility.”
Councillor Mik Sabiers, Ealing Council’s lead member for housing, planning and transformation said: “Ealing Council is in the forefront of the fight against London’s housing crisis. We are on course to hit our target of delivering 2,500 new, genuinely affordable homes by April 2022, both by directly building new homes and by working with our housing associations partners and private developers. In order to meet continued demand, it is vital that we all continue building the affordable homes that our borough urgently needs.
“All of the 71 households that lived on the old Sherwood Close estate have now moved into the high-quality, energy-efficient new homes built during phase one of this redevelopment. We’re pleased that, with the appointment of Durkan, Clarion is on course to deliver 139 more affordable homes for the borough in the second phase of development at Sherwood Close.”
Construction is expected to start in January 2021. Strict site operating procedures will be implemented in full compliance with the Construction Leadership Council’s Covid-19 guidelines, and measures to maintain social distancing will be put in place across the site.
