Dozens of much-needed new bungalows in a former County Durham mining village are starting to take shape as construction gets well underway on site.
The Quarry Road development, a partnership between Karbon Homes and Durham Aged Mineworkers Homes Association (DAMHA), will bring 42 bungalows to Trimdon village, offering a mix of one and two-bed homes all available for social rent.
Nineteen of the bungalows will be managed by Karbon Homes and the other 23 will be managed by DAMHA and kept exclusively for residents over 55.
Zoey Hawthorne, Group Director of Development at Karbon Homes, said:
“It’s fantastic to see work progressing at Quarry Road.
“Providing good quality, modern homes that meet the needs of our communities, both now and in the future, is one of our key priorities. This scheme will bring much-needed accessible and adaptable homes to the village, which will enable local people to remain living independently for longer.”
“It’s great to be working with our established partner DAMHA to deliver the scheme and I look forward to seeing the homes progress over the coming year.”
Built by construction partner Oaktree Living, the new homes will be allocated through Durham County Council’s choice-based lettings system and will contribute towards the government’s target to deliver 180,000 social rent homes by 2035.
Paul Mullis, Chief Executive of DAMHA, said:
“We are delighted to see this development take shape. The homes are designed specifically with the needs of older residents in mind. Each has been built to a high standard of energy efficiency, helping to keep running costs down and homes comfortable all year round — something that matters enormously to the people we serve.
“On the 20th anniversary of what has become a long-lasting partnership with Karbon and its predecessor organisations, this development reflects our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality, affordable homes for older people across County Durham, and we look forward to welcoming residents into their new homes.”
The homes will be built to the highest energy efficient standards, aiming to achieve an EPC A rating. The 19 bungalows from Karbon will benefit from solar PV panels and will be powered by air source heat pumps.
Graeme Walton, Head of Construction at Oaktree Living, said: “We are delighted to be part of the delivery team of 42 high-quality bungalows as part of this new housing development. This project reflects our commitment to building well-designed, energy-efficient homes that meet the needs of local communities.
“Working closely with our partners, we’re creating homes that will provide comfortable, sustainable living for residents for many years to come and look forward to seeing this new community flourish.”
The development has been part-funded through Karbon’s strategic partnership with Homes England, under its Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-26. The partnership has provided Karbon with £184 million in funding to deliver 2,327 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire by 2026.