On Day 1 of the high-profile UKREiiF event in Leeds, Keon Homes has announced reaching a major construction milestone, with work starting on its 1,200th unit today.
Formed just six years ago, the company has delivered 16 completed sites across the Midlands, with a further nine projects currently underway.
Construction of the 1,200th home is taking place at its landmark £35million Port Loop urban regeneration scheme in Birmingham.
Working in partnership with sister company Cameron Homes and housing association Midland Heart, Keon Homes is building phases 3A, B and C on the prestigious Icknield Port Loop development, delivering 124 units over the next two years.
These phases will involve construction of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, alongside a small apartment block that straddles the canal corner and will be sympathetic to the heritage of the site.
Richard Williams, managing director of Keon Homes, is taking part in a West Midlands’ Housing Delivery panel session on Day 1 of UKREiiF, providing an insight into the company’s journey, the importance of public/private delivery models and partnerships, its move into extra care schemes and its recent appointment as lead on the £1billion Wolverhampton Housing Development Framework.
Williams explained: “It is somewhat fitting that our 1,200th home is on Port Loop, the largest development we have worked on to date, both in terms of size and importance to urban regeneration. To have achieved this number in just six years is some achievement, especially considering we have done this against the backdrop of Covid-19, unprecedented material shortages and rising inflation.
“Our approach has always been ‘do the right thing’, whether that is bringing brownfield land back into use or ensuring each development places the individual and family at its heart – building communities not just housing.”
He continued: “This has seen us forge strong partnerships with over 10 housing associations and these relationships – with the likes of Midland Heart, Wrekin Housing Group and Sanctuary – have been pivotal in our growth.”
“UKREiiF is such an important event for our sector, and I’m delighted we can give an insight into the Keon Homes story and how we are going about delivering affordable housing.”
Williams concluded: “The next few years promise to be a very exciting time with government keen to accelerate the number of units being built in a concerted attempt to start solving the shortage we’ve got in the UK. We’d urge the powers that be to go brownfield first and look at how we can repurpose land that has laid dormant for years, sometimes even decades.”
