Latimer appointed development partner for Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community
The development partner, to work alongside Mersea Homes, for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC) has today been announced as Latimer.
Latimer is the development arm of Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest provider of affordable housing, with over 125,000 homes and more than 350,000 residents across the country.
Latimer brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the project, and reinvests any profits made into the building and maintenance of more affordable homes across the country, as well as providing support to residents through Clarion’s charitable foundation, Clarion Futures.
Richard Cook, Group Director of Development at Clarion Housing Group, said: “We’re excited to be working with Mersea Homes and the combined authorities to develop this innovative and sustainable garden community, providing thousands of much-needed affordable homes and employment opportunities over the next 30 years.
“Placemaking is at the heart of what we do at Latimer, and this project presents an opportunity for us to set a new standard for the delivery of affordable and private homes, community facilities and employment opportunities whilst improving connectivity in the North Essex area. We want to create a lasting legacy by delivering high-quality sustainable new homes of mixed tenure that meet the varied needs of people for generations to come.”
Stuart Cock, Managing Director of Mersea Homes continued “I’m really pleased today to confirm Latimer as Mersea Homes’ development partner for the Garden Community. This is the beginning of an exciting and important journey as we work together with local communities plus Colchester, Tendring and Essex Councils to deliver a high-quality place for people to live and thrive in. Mersea Homes has been building homes locally for over 70 years and I have always been a huge advocate of the local area, having lived here all my life. This is a wonderful opportunity.”
The partner authorities for the TCBGC project, Colchester Borough Council; Tendring District Council; and Essex County Council are currently working towards producing the DPD for the TCBGC, which will set out the core policies and preferred layout option for the new community. Following a programme of community and stakeholder engagement over the summer and early autumn, a draft version of the DPD is expected to be consulted on in the early part of 2022.
The members representing the three Councils for the project; Cllr Paul Dundas (Leader of Colchester Borough Council); Cllr Carlo Guglielmi (Deputy Leader of Tendring District Council); and Cllr Tom Cunningham (Deputy to the Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning at Essex County Council) released a joint statement saying:
“We are pleased to welcome Latimer to the project, alongside Mersea Homes, and look forward to what will be a productive and meaningful relationship over the coming years. We will work closely to ensure that this community is sustainable, future proof, of the highest quality and achieves the very best for new and existing residents”.