Havebury Housing Partnership has completed the redevelopment of the Magistrates Court building in Thetford providing affordable housing, earmarked for local residents. The redevelopment has been made possible due to grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).
The development offers a mix of 14 adaptable one and two bedroom properties making them suitable for everyone, from young families to older people in a central location.
Scott Bailey, Development Director at Havebury Housing Partnership said: “We have achieved this redevelopment by improving the original structure whilst remaining sympathetic to the surrounding area. Not only has Havebury brought an old building back to life, but we have ensured that the building is well insulated which will result in fuel savings for tenants.
This is another great example of how Havebury is working with local authorities to provide much needed quality affordable homes with character.
Previous redevelopments include Mill Street in nearby Mildenhall. Here Havebury purchased a former builders merchant shop and yard located in Mildenhall town centre, which had been derelict for ten years. The site, which adjoins a churchyard, included listed buildings of a range of ages, the oldest dating back to the mid-seventeenth century, alongside the more recent Victorian street-fronted building on Mill Street.
Havebury accepted the challenge to convert these listed buildings into homes fit for a contemporary lifestyle and construct extra new homes on the remainder of the site. This resulted in the creation of 12 one and two bedroom affordable homes for the area.
Paul Edwards, Director of Resources at Havebury added: “By looking at other development opportunities and working alongside other local authorities, we are able to expand our portfolio across the region and provide a range of housing options suitable for those localities. We aim to increase our redevelopment portfolio over the coming years which will help local authorities to reduce their housing lists.”
Havebury’s next redevelopment project is the old Goods Shed in Thetford which lies adjacent to the Railway station. Plans have now been approved and development will start in the new year providing a further 10 one and two bedroom homes for the area.
Havebury Housing Partnership refurbished a derelict builder’s merchant in Mill Street, Mildenhall
