Genesis Housing Group has hosted the official launch of the Fairview Road development in Stevenage. The site will provide nearly 200 homes for shared ownership and social renting and is due for completion in May 2007.

Local Councillors and dignitaries including the Mayor of Stevenage and Councillor Ann Webb listened to speeches and information from the partners involved with the scheme outlining details of what will be provided on site.

Following this, delegates donned hardhats and enjoyed a tour of the site to see the current progress that is being made.

Fairview Road is the flagship project led by Genesis Housing Group as part of the Challenge Fund 2 Programme. The scheme is being delivered by Gentect Homes partners: Durkan Construction and SHM architects, with more than 75% of the homes being dedicated to key workers. Sutherland, a subsidairy of Genesis, will be marketing, selling and managing the shared ownership homes, while PCHA will manage the rented homes.

The Challenge Fund 2 Programme is a Housing Partnership scheme utilising sites owned by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships and a Housing Corporation grant to provide a mix of affordable and intermediate rent and low cost home ownership options.

During his opening welcome Anu Vedi, Chief Executive of Genesis Housing Group commented, "This site is an important part of the progress of the Challenge Fund 2 programme and also to the future plans for Genesis Housing Group.

"This is the first time we have partnered with Stevenage Borough Council and throughout the planning process we have been overwhelmed by the strong support from the council officers. This has ensured that the project is being delivered on-time and running smoothly."

In her speech, Councillor Ann Webb, Cabinet Member for Housing, said, "This has been a partnership in the true sense of the word. Each partner has worked together and we have all benefited from this high level of co-operation.
The results of this can now be seen and we are looking forward to seeing the final homes in 2007. This site will provide much needed housing and is the start of several projects across Stevenage."

This development has incorporated the latest methods of off-site construction and used high levels of energy efficiency and environmentally friendly features. An access road, new cycle route and landscaping are all included within the plans.

Funding has also been given to Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council as a contribution towards improving local education facilities such as libraries, childcare and youth projects and to improve existing sports and social facilities.

The Housing Corporation's Head of Investment for the East of England, Naisha Polaine, said "£3.million for Stevenage from the Housing Corporation demonstrates our commitment to the area, its need for investment to fund growth and deliver housing for those in need. We are particularly pleased to be funding key worker housing and offering housing opportunities to those delivering our public services at the front line."

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For more information please contact:

Alex Gaze, Genesis Housing Group - 020 8150 4755
alex.gaze@ghg.org.uk

Notes to Editors

Genesis Housing Group is one of the UK's largest and most successful providers of homes for rent and sale. The group currently consists of PCHA, Sutherland, Pathmeads and Springboard housing associations. Together the Group owns and/or manages more than 40,000 homes across London and the south east.

Sutherland, part of the Genesis Housing Group, provides home ownership and intermediate rent opportunities to first time buyers and key workers - who are unable to access a home of their own within the private sector.

PCHA, part of the Genesis Housing Group, has more than 40 years experience and provides homes for more than 10,000 households across the south east.

Gentect Homes is a partnership set up by Genesis Housing Group. The partnership involves four independent house builders: Durkan Construction, Allenbuid, Hill Partnerships and McCann Homes and two architectural firms: SHP and BPTW. The partnership is developing affordable homes throughout the south east.

The Housing Partnership (THP). The formation of THP was announced in October 20002 by the Deputy Prime Minister, to bring together skills and experience from the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), specifically to increase the supply of affordable homes for key workers. The Partnership works with regional and local partners to ensure that the homes delivered meet local needs and priorities.

The Partnership:
• facilitates joint working between the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships;
• forges new partnerships between housing associations (HAs), house builders and investors, using innovative approaches to increase housing supply;
• encourages the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) to build homes more quickly and to a higher standard;
• helps to bring long-term redundant public sector sites into use;
• encourages a best value approach to land use, working with the public sector to release additional surplus land.

Challenge Fund 2 (CF2) combines a number of sites owned by English Partnerships, with Housing Corporation grant, to provide around 1300 new homes - a mix of affordable and intermediate rent and low cost home ownership options. In keeping with the aims of THP at least 50% of the new homes were to be dedicated to key workers, with at least 50% delivered using some form of MMC. Following a competition launched in July 2003, Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Group and Genesis Housing Group, were awarded land and funding to deliver the programme across a number of new towns. Both consortia are expected to exceed the 50% target for use of MMC, and operate on a fixed grant basis so that RSLs take on the cost risk of the development of these sites.

The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for regulating and investing in nearly 2000 housing associations in England. Its investment programme of £3.3bn for 2004-06 will fund over 67,000 affordable homes. 16,000 of these will go to key workers and 25% will use some form of modern methods of construction.