Building strong foundations

Photography by Jamie Haslam

The blow-up Grinches have been deflated and packed away.

The outdoor lights and artificial trees have been similarly boxed up.

There isn’t even the slightest trace of the white spray that decorated windows with fake snow scenes.

For a number of the residents on the Seaside Lane estate, in Easington, east Durham, the props marked another Christmas of ritual and tradition, of celebration and cheer.

Not all customs were observed, though.

For many on the estate, the 2024 festive period meant Christmas in the surrounds of a new home, one based a short stroll from Seaton Holme, the famous spot where Alice Liddell lived with her grandfather, the Rector of Easington, and where they met author Charles Dodgson, who would go on to write Alice in Wonderland.

It may not be as magical as Alice’s fantastical adventures nearly 150 years ago, but – through Seaside Lane – Esh Construction has paved the way for new dreams and dream homes for young professionals and families by delivering a mix of affordable rent and rent-to-buy properties.

Seaside Lane, though, is much more than an addendum of a famous book.

Delivered on behalf of fellow North East organisation believe housing, the 96- home scheme is a flagship example of Esh Construction’s leading land-led offer, which is helping drive higher numbers of much-needed affordable housing across the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.

Working alongside land agents, landowners, local authorities and registered social housing providers, the Bowburn-headquartered firm’s bespoke land-led solution is built around collaboration and transparency, lending itself to partners playing to their strengths and alleviating workloads for providers.

The land-led approach sees Esh take the lead on land purchase and tendering, weighing up site technicalities and constraints and bringing in dedicated estimating, technical and construction resources that enable registered providers to focus on the viability of the development around location, rent and sales.

In addition to Seaside Lane, the Homes England Investment Partner – a status that allows Esh to access capital grants on behalf of its clients – counts a number of completed land-led schemes in its portfolio.

They include the 17-home and eight-flat social rent Roman Avenue venture, in Byker, Newcastle, which was delivered on behalf of Karbon Homes and supported by funding from the Homes England Affordable Housing Programme.

Further developments include the £3.7 million Leeds-based Bodmin Road project that has provided 32 affordable homes alongside Yorkshire Housing, and the Highfield Road scheme, in Doncaster, which, alongside Housing 21 and Together Housing Group, has created 56 affordable homes, 12 bungalows and a three-storey retirement living building.

And for Laura Devaney, Esh Construction’s land and partnerships director, the impact is more than tangible.

She can still recall her first visits to Seaside Lane – which was once the home of Easington & District Working Men’s Club – in 2018.

She still has the before-and-after photos on her phone and, as she poses for updated pictures by the sustainable urban drainage system basin in the centre of the estate, she recalls the photo opportunities of Seaside Lane past; breaking the soil, seeing the designs come to life and observing residents settling into, in some cases, their first homes.

“I remember coming here when it started, during COVID-19, getting a picture taken with Tom from believe housing with our PPE on, and keeping our distance,” says Laura, who has been with Esh for close to 14 years and, since graduating from Northumbria University, has always worked in the affordable housing sector.

She says: “When I drove here today, I had a bit of an ‘oh my God’ moment, in terms of realising just what we have developed with Seaside Lane and the difference it is making to the people who live on the estate.

“I always think that when you walk around the new streets, you wouldn’t think it was affordable housing; you would think it is market-led because the architectural design has been well thought out and has delivered homes that are really appealing.

“And making that difference is one of the driving forces for us at Esh Construction, because everyone should have a roof over their head.”

Laura adds: “We are fortunate to work with housing providers that are invested in improving the affordable housing offer, and it’s great to be in a position where we are giving people aspirations they didn’t previously think were available to them.

“You meet people after they move in who say, ‘I’m warm, I can afford to put my heating on,’ and they tell us it’s different to where they lived before.

“That then affects their mental wellbeing and whole outlook on life for the better.”

New land-led schemes on the horizon include a £20 million extra care development in Sunderland, and 53 apartments for retirement living at a derelict library on Gateshead’s Sunderland Road.

A further development in Jarrow has received planning permission for 50 new affordable homes in partnership with Karbon Homes, with several schemes across Yorkshire also featuring in Esh’s affordable housing order book.

Laura says: “Once we completed a couple of smaller schemes after first developing the land- led solution, we saw real opportunity where we could match our clients’ needs.

“A key ingredient to land-led success comes in the clarity clients receive from the outset.

“With technical reviews carried out long before the planning application is rubber stamped, there are no surprises for registered providers when schemes near completion dates.

“From the very beginning of the land-led process there is transparency, from the landowner through to the architects, the engineers and the registered provider.

“It is not only the client who benefits, but also the communities in which the developments are delivered.”

Community has been the core driver for Esh since one of its founding companies, Lumsden & Carroll, was formed in the early 1970s, and that remains true in the present day.

Laura says: “Social value really is in the Esh Construction DNA.

“It has been at our core for more than 50 years, and even though different initiatives and programmes have evolved, that ethos has remained, even in really tough economic times.”

And with Labour having unleashed plans to build 1.5 million homes – a good proportion of them affordable properties – over the course of the current parliament, Laura says Esh Construction’s land-led offer means it is more than well placed to support the blueprint.

She says: “The Government has already identified a need for housing, in particular affordable housing.

“We have the biggest order book we’ve ever had and a strong pipeline in our land-led offer.

“It’s pleasing to work alongside a core group of people in the North East who are very, very passionate about the region’s housing stock.

“Between the clients and partners we deal with on a regular basis, there are more voices than ever lobbying at Government level, particularly around the affordable housing programme.

“Collectively, we can be confident that a change is coming and that is a big driver for us.

“The spring will bring a new dawn.”

For more information about Esh Construction and to learn more about its land-led offer, visit – www.eshgroup.co.uk/land-led-development
www.eshgroup.co.uk
LinkedIn: Esh Group