Vistry Group has exchanged contracts to expand its Western Gate community in Harpole, near Northampton. The addition of 233 new homes brings the total build to 1,070 of the planned 1,900 properties at Norwood Farm.
The additional homes will be built across a mix of tenures, with 83 affordable homes, 80 PRS properties and 70 open market homes. This announcement follows West Northamptonshire Council’s approval of reserved matters for phase two of the development, allowing Vistry to start building 278 family homes. On this portion of the development, 139 homes will be available on the open market, and 139 will be affordable properties through Vistry’s partnership with Platform Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest housing associations.
In addition, Vistry has secured its first contract with affordable home provider, Zen Housing, which will own and manage 18 affordable properties.
Andrew Harvey, managing director of Vistry South Central Midlands, said: “I am thrilled to announce the completion of contracts for an additional 233 mixed-tenure homes at Western Gate and our first contract with Zen housing. This brings the total to 1,070 of the 1,900 new properties planned at Norwood Farm. Our commitment goes beyond housebuilding, with £9million allocated to bolstering services for both new and current residents.”
John Okell, investment director at Zen Housing, said: “The contract for the additional homes coincides with receiving reserved matter to start work on a further 278 properties for the affordable and open markets. This clearly shows Vistry’s dedication to meeting housing needs by building homes across multiple tenures to an exceptional standard, creating a thriving and sustainable community.”
“We are delighted to mark the start of our partnership with Vistry Group on this phase of homes at Western Gate. These 18 high-quality affordable homes reflect our commitment to delivering sustainable, well-connected communities. Executing the deal in just five weeks ahead of completion in August highlights the strength of collaboration between our teams. We look forward to supporting the wider Norwood Farm vision through tenure-diverse, community-focused delivery.”
The £9million earmarked for local service improvement includes a new primary school, tree planting, public footpaths, contributions towards a local centre, play facilities, a library and highway improvements.
Phase one of this scheme to build an initial 439 properties is well underway, with numerous families already living in one of the one-to-five-bedroom homes, located five miles from Northampton town centre. The open market homes are available from Bovis Homes and Linden Homes’ latest collections, providing easy access to the M1, local amenities and a selection of ‘Good’ Ofsted-rated schools nearby.
