10th May 2016
Work is underway to transform the site of an old office block in Weston-super-Mare into the the area’s largest train and build development to date. The premises at Lawrence Court, Weston-super-Mare, formerly occupied by Knightstone Housing, have been demolished to make way for 14 new homes, comprising 10 one-bedroom flats and four two-bedroom units for armed forces veterans in need of housing.
The scheme will see construction professionals train the ex-service personnel in key building skills, enabling them to physically be part of creating the homes in which they will live. In addition to providing much needed housing in the area, the development will help to reintegrate those involved within the wider community and offer them qualifications that can be used in the future. For Lawrence Court, which is due for completion in July 2017, the training will be carried out by Fisher & Dean, who is also as taking a lead on the construction.
Joint funded by Knightstone Housing, the Homes and Communities Agency, and North Somerset Council, the project aims to help address the area’s requirement for more new affordable homes. It follows in the footsteps of two successful train and build developments in the area – York Road and West Street, both in Bristol. The former is a 10 home scheme that was completed towards the end of 2015 and West Street, the pilot development, which has garnered critical acclaim for its community provision and skills training since its conception in 2011.
David Summerhill, Senior Development Manager at Knightstone said: “We’re proud to be working with the CSBA on another project to provide homes for armed forces veterans in need,” says David Summerhill, Senior Development Manager at Knightstone. “It’s a great regeneration of the site, and we’ve received overwhelming support from the local community and North Somerset Council.”
