A new apprentice-led development has been launched in Newcastle by home builders and Newcastle City Council, which will see affordable homes built and jobs created across the city.
Leazes Homes and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) have partnered with the council to launch the scheme, which forms part of an ongoing city-wide programme which offers numerous construction apprenticeships, from bricklaying to carpentry, plumbing and electrics.
The homes that have already been worked on under the scheme include 11 located on the Pendower Estate in Newcastle’s west end, all of which are aimed specifically at older residents. Each of the homes is accredited to ‘Secure by Design’ which confirms that they are safe and secure for older residents.
Chair of Leazes Homes, Bill Midgley, told Sky News – Tyne and Wear: “This is a great example of how the new build programme is working in the city. We are meeting the needs of tenants and also creating and maintaining apprenticeships within the construction industry which is extremely important for the region.
“Our programme is really making an impact on our communities and will continue to do so…This approach has worked well in other parts of the city and makes the most of the new investment,” he added.
Cllr Gerald Bell, cabinet member for investment and development at Newcastle City Council, confirmed that this first stage of the scheme was a step in the right direction, saying that the Pendower project was "the first in a series of apprentice-led developments delivered with partners Leazes Homes and Keepmoat, which provide construction training and skills opportunities as well as much needed affordable homes for rent for older people in their community.”