The topping out ceremony for new Council housing on Fore Hamlet was celebrated on Tuesday 13 May by Ipswich Borough Council and its house building company Handford Homes.
The 30 flats which are being built at the former Hope Church site by SEH French include eight one-bedroom apartments, 20 two-bedroom apartments and two disabled apartments. The flats will have access to shared gardens and onsite parking for some residents, including EV charging points. The development expected to be completed later in 2025.
The programme is being part funded by Homes England and the Government’s Brownfield Land Relief Fund, reducing the cost of development to the Council’s Housing Revenue Account.
Councillor Alasdair Ross, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Housing, said:
“We are pleased to have reached this important milestone in the construction of new flats on Fore Hamlet which once complete will deliver affordable housing in Ipswich.
“The new high-quality homes will provide a new community with much needed housing options, helping to meet local demand and support sustainable living within easy reach of the town centre.”
Colin Kreidewolf Chair of Handford Homes said:
“Thank you to the Mayor for joining us in celebrating this topping out ceremony, a significant milestone that marks the progress of the development and brings us one step closer to providing much-needed affordable homes for the community.
"At Handford Homes, we're proud to build one of the first developments to be carried out according to new Building Regulation standards introduced last year. These higher standards require much improved levels of thermal performance bringing greater energy efficiency to cut heating costs and emissions while boosting energy efficiency."
Shane Davis, Site Manager at SEH French, said: “We have very nearly finished the fabric of the building and it’s looking really good.
“It is a challenging site to work on due to its small and compact size, so the logistics have had to be spot on.
“Teamwork has been key to the project, working alongside our subcontractors to make sure everything runs smoothly.
“We’d like to thank the Mayor, Cllr Ross and Cllr Kreidewolf for coming along for the topping out ceremony - it was lovely to have them on site and to show them around.”
