Ground breaking ceremony celebrates the start of new affordable homes in Middlesbrough

The scheme is being delivered by Thirteen in partnership with Middlesbrough Council, Esh Construction, Homes England, and other partners.

A breaking ground ceremony officially marked the start on site for the new development which will deliver apartments, bungalows, and two, three and four-bedroom houses on two sites adjacent to each other in Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough.

Modern construction methods will be used throughout the scheme, with all homes built with a timber frame. Ten of the properties will also be built as ‘net zero-carbon.’

Thirteen’s executive director of development, Joy Whinnerah, said: “This long-awaited milestone is another step towards bringing modern, high quality and affordable  new homes to Brambles Farm, and so much hard work has gone into making it happen.

“Following the announcement to demolish the blocks, back in 2018, a dedicated relocations team worked closely with residents to ensure they all found suitable new homes. Once completed, we were finally able to demolish in 2021, and we’re so pleased that we’re a step closer to delivering these fantastic new homes.

“This is an exciting scheme, and we’re thrilled to be working with our partners to make this development happen.”

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “New housing for local people is great news. Thank you to Thirteen Group and Esh Construction for making this fantastic project happen.”

Chris Hale, pre-construction director at Esh Construction, said: “Extensive work from all parties has gone into making this scheme viable, including a value engineering exercise which will see all properties built from timber frame, providing faster build times as well as environmental efficiencies and a lower carbon footprint. We are thrilled to get another significant project underway with Thirteen that will deliver much-need affordable homes in Middlesbrough.”

The new homes will replace the demolished tower blocks, Milford, Portland, and Jupiter, which were demolished in 2021.  The Jupiter site will include 15 bungalows, while Milford and Portland will be home to 90 new homes, including a mix of bungalows, two-bedroom homes, up to four-bedroom houses and four-bedroom townhouses. 

Photo caption: Chris Hale, Esh's pre-construction director, Angela Brockbank, Thirteen's head of new business & growth, Middlesbrough Mayor, Andy Preston, Ben McLaughlin, senior manager - provider management for Homes England, and Joy Whinnerah, Thirteen's director of development.