L&Q celebrates completion of 248 Preston homes
Willmott Dixon began work at the £35m D’Urton Grange project in 2020 and has now delivered a range of two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes to Fulwood.
The 248 homes are divided across two adjacent parcels of land, both north of D’Urton Lane, and spanning a total of 31 acres.
At least 30% of the homes are to be offered as affordable. The scheme is split between 48 two-, 153 three-, and 47 four-bedroom homes.
Nicol Thomas provided the designs and handled planning matters for the scheme when the application was first lodged with Preston City Council in 2019.
Three areas of public open space designed by FDA Landscape feature in the scheme, while all the properties offer an enclosed private garden to residents.
The land had been designated for housing in Preston’s 2012-26 Local Plan.
L&Q and Willmott Dixon were supported by a £2.2m grant from Homes England, the original land owners of the site, via the Strategic Partnerships Programme.
Every property will provide at least two parking spots, while some of the larger properties offer three.
Ben Townsend, new business director for the North West at L&Q, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating this milestone and officially completing D’Urton Grange, after years of hard work, with our partners, Willmott Dixon.
“We are particularly grateful for the support from Preston Council and Homes England. This has enabled us to build more affordable homes and at a faster rate of construction, genuinely contributing to tackling the housing crisis in the area.”
Cllr Valerie Wise, cabinet member for community wealth building at Preston City Council, said: “The development is very impressive and of high quality, with a large number of mixed affordability ranging from affordable homes to buy, shared ownership packages, and affordable rented options to suit various incomes.
“It’s good to see a registered social landlord, such as L&Q, in partnership with Willmott Dixon, putting back into the social and affordable housing markets and investing in our neighbourhoods.”
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Michael Poole-Sutherland, North West director for Willmott Dixon, added: “On behalf of our team of housing experts, I’m delighted to celebrate completion of this development, which delivers an outstanding combination of high-quality, affordability, and sustainability.
“We are also immensely proud to reflect on the positive community impact the project has created.”
Kate Collins, head of affordable housing delivery at Homes England, said: “As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, increasing the supply of quality affordable homes remains one of our key objectives and we are committed to supporting stakeholders of all sizes to achieve their ambitions.”
“The D’Urton Grange development is a prime example of how we work with partners like L&Q, through the Affordable Homes Programme, to build much-needed new communities that people can be proud to call home.”
To view the original 2019 planning application, use the reference number 06/2019/0908 on Preston City Council’s planning portal.
