Supporting students to access a career in housing
Helping Guildford students lay the foundations for a housing career
We gave students from St Peter’s Catholic School in Guildford the opportunity to learn more about what a career in housing looks like. The students were given the opportunity to visit one of our local development sites, Gardeners Walk in Westway, where we’ll be building 37 affordable homes.
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics figures show that just 14.2 per cent of the construction workforce in the UK is female, so our colleagues were keen to show students that anyone can get involved in construction regardless of gender.
Claire Coxsell, our Regional Development Manager and Project Manager, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome the students from St Peter’s for a tour of the site and we hope to have sparked their interest by sharing our passion and excitement for the industry and showcasing what housing professions can offer.
“At Abri we understand the importance of having inclusive and diverse teams who bring different skillsets and perspectives. The construction industry can be so rewarding for the benefits it brings to the community. The perception however can be it’s just for men, but we want to inspire women too. Across the industry we’re also facing a skills shortage as the average age of the UK construction worker is 42. We need to entice the next generation to ensure we stay innovative and have fresh ideas. First hand introductions like this help people feel comfortable exploring career paths and we hope the experience has encouraged potential housebuilders of the future.”
Twelve students were onsite and learnt about a variety of careers, including what a trainee site manager does and the essential role health and safety plays when building homes. The students were also given the chance to be a part of shaping their community by taking part in plumbing tasks and laying block paving.
One of the students who attended said:
“The day has given me a real insight into the number of different jobs that go into developing homes. It was useful listening to what people do and being able to ask questions which has given me a better understanding of what a possible career might look like.”
We’ve built affordable homes to help with the regeneration of Lockleaze and Finzels Reach, Bristol
We’ve completed two housing developments in Bristol that’ll provide 103 affordable home to the city, with 37 at Shackleton Heights and the other 66 at Coopers Court.
Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee at Bristol City Council, said:
“We’re committed to delivering the housing our city needs and I am pleased to see the completion of these new homes at Shackleton Heights and Coopers Court which will make an important contribution to our plans to deliver more affordable homes across the city.
“Working in partnership is the only way we will continue to tackle the housing crisis. Together we will increase the number of well-built and affordable homes in Bristol so that many more people will have a comfortable, cheap-to-run place they can call home.”
Shackleton Heights is a development that we’ve built in partnership with Speller Metcalfe. It has a mix of house types aimed at helping to meet local housing need and is located along Crome and Constable Road in the northern suburb of Bristol.
The new homes have helped revitalise land that was derelict for over ten years. We also built two bungalows as part of the development which are fully wheelchair accessible and can be adapted with lower light switches and window openers.
Due to the Lockleaze local lettings policy developed by Bristol City Council, members of the existing Lockleaze community have been given priority for the new homes for social rent.
We’ve also delivered affordable homes in partnership with Cubex, a property developer, at Coopers Court in Finzels Reach, with Willmott Dixon undertaking the construction.
Both the Coopers Court and Shackleton Heights developments were built using grant support from Homes England, the government's housing delivery agency, as well as our own funding to make the homes affordable.
Sam Stone, our Director of Land and Planning, said:
“Urban regeneration is key to solving the challenges we face in providing more homes without encroaching on green space. These homes are a great example of how we can build good quality homes on formerly disused land with sustainable features that will help lower energy bills for customers.
“An investment on this scale requires a collaborative approach to be successful and working with Bristol City Council and our partners I’m pleased to see the finished homes looking so good. We hope this regeneration adds real value to the communities and look forward to seeing the neighbourhoods continuing to flourish.”
Will Tomlinson, Development Director at Cubex, said:
“We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone at Finzels Reach. The completion of Coopers Court marks an integral milestone in one of the largest mixed-use developments in the South West.
“Working with Abri, we have been able to provide intelligent, tech-enabled, sustainable homes at this once-derelict city centre site. Our consultant team and our contractor, Wilmott Dixon, have delivered an exemplar scheme, adding to a thriving community that we are extremely proud of.”
Mark Eaton, Divisional Director at Speller Metcalfe, added:
“We’re delighted to see the handover of these high quality, affordable and sustainable homes. In the height of both a housing and climate crisis, we know how much of an impact the Shackleton Heights development will make in Bristol and are pleased to see it successfully completed.”
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