Building work is underway on a new £20m development of affordable housing with low-carbon heating systems in Cheltenham

We've started construction of 71 new homes on a brownfield site on Village Road. The four-acre site is the former home of the Douglas Equipment factory which had been empty since the site closed in 2020. The former factory buildings were demolished in April ahead of work on the new homes getting underway. The new development, called The Fairway, will be a mix of 1-bedroom maisonettes and two, three, four and five-bedroom homes. Thirty-two homes will be available to rent, with the other 39 available to part-buy, part-rent through Bromford’s shared ownership scheme.

All of the 71 homes at The Fairway will be heated by air source heat pumps, which are a low-carbon alternative to gas boilers. They are more efficient than a standard boiler which helps households to use less energy and reduce their carbon emissions. All of the homes will have EV charging points, while most of them will also have solar panels. The £20m development is being part-funded by our strategic partnership with Homes England.

Project manager Stuart Hay said: “I’m delighted that work is underway on our new development to provide new affordable, sustainable homes here in Cheltenham. By installing air source heat pumps in all of these homes, it will reduce our customers’ reliance on fossil fuels and helps us on our journey to becoming a net-zero carbon organisation.

“House prices in Cheltenham are ten times average incomes*, which means buying a home in the town is out of reach for many people, so there is a clear need for more affordable housing in the town. With a mix of rented and shared ownership homes, the variation of housing we are providing at The Fairways means there’s something for everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing the site progress over the coming months and welcoming the first customers into their new homes.”

The homes are being built by Bromford’s in-house construction team, which last year completed 232 of the 1,265 homes built by the Gloucestershire-based housing association. The entire development is due to be completed in spring 2025. Find out more about our shared ownership homes at The Fairway.

*According to National Housing Federation data