Rishi visited Magna Rise, a new affordable housing scheme under construction in East Cowton by Karbon Homes and Adderstone Living.
Rishi was welcomed by Paul Fiddaman, Group Chief Executive of Karbon Homes, and representatives from Adderstone Living, the construction partner delivering the 68-home development.
The site tour included a visit to the homes under construction, a discussion with site manager Peter Jackson, and the opportunity to meet several members of the workforce. Also in attendance were Cllr Elaine Simpson from East Cowton Parish Council and members of Karbon Homes’ development team.
Magna Rise will include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes. The development has been designed to meet a range of housing needs, with 15 homes for affordable rent, seven for social rent, seven for shared ownership, and 39 available through a rent-to-buy model.
All homes are being constructed to high environmental standards, using timber frame construction, and incorporating solar PV panels and air source heat pumps to improve energy efficiency and reduce running costs for residents.
Importantly, the development has the support of the local parish council. A Section 106 agreement ensures that the affordable and social rent homes are initially offered to people with a local connection to East Cowton.
Speaking after the visit, Rishi said:
"It’s fantastic to see this high-quality development taking shape here in East Cowton. Projects like this are vital for ensuring that people can continue to live, work, and raise their families in the villages they love. It was great to meet the team making it happen and see firsthand how these new homes will make a real difference to the future of this area."
Paul Fiddaman, Chief Executive of Karbon Homes, said:
"It was great to have Rishi join us for a visit to our East Cowton development to see how these much-needed affordable homes are progressing.
As is common with rural villages like East Cowton, the limited housing investment over the years has resulted in a decline of new people moving to the area. It’s great to receive such positive feedback on our approach to combating this issue, working closely with the East Cowton parish council to design a scheme to meet the needs of young people and families wanting to move to the village.
It reinforces just how important our investment in new homes is and we hope to see this scheme play a role in helping the community to thrive.”
Stephen McCoy, Director of Adderstone Living, added:
"We were honoured to welcome Rishi Sunak to our scheme. It was a valuable opportunity to showcase the quality and speed of our delivery on site, which is making a positive impact on the village, and has the continued support of the local community."
The development has been part-funded through Karbon Homes’ strategic partnership with Homes England, which has provided the housing association with £181 million in funding to deliver 2,324 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire by 2026. Karbon has committed to delivering 10% of these homes in rural communities such as East Cowton.
