10/01/2025
Affordable homes taking shape at city’s gateway development
Pentaco Construction site manager James Johnson, left, and Big Sky residential surveyor Alex Alston in front of new homes being built for Flagship at St Giles Park in Norwich.
Homes for affordable rent are taking shape at a major gateway development in Norwich.
The developer Big Sky Living has already built more than 200 of a planned 348 homes at St Giles Park in Cringleford – close to the A11 Newmarket Road and the Thickthorn Interchange.
Housing provider Flagship Group is acquiring 72 homes at the site under a Section 106 agreement, which ensures developers contribute to the community through measures such as affordable housing.
Carla Ridgeway, Head of S106 at Flagship’s development arm, Flagship Homes, said: "Our focus is on creating affordable, quality homes where people can feel proud to live. These homes provide a foundation for families and first-time buyers to build stability and thrive in a sustainable community."
New homes at St Giles Park in Cringleford.
Alex Alston, Residential Surveyor at Big Sky, said: “It’s been brilliant to work with Flagship on delivering much-needed affordable rent and shared equity homes. But this is about more than just the homes - there’s a whole community taking shape.”
Ample off-street parking, large windows and attractive brick facades are among the hallmarks of St Giles Park. Many also have solar panels. All homes in the current and future phases of the project have air source heat pumps and car chargers installed, and many homes in previous phases also have solar panels.
Houses being built near the new Jubilee Centre at St Giles Park.
A £3 million ‘arts sports pavilion’ called the Jubilee Centre has just opened, which is home to a 30-place nursery school called Crackerjacks. The centre also includes a sports hall with facilities for badminton, netball and more, and has two football pitches.
Of the homes for Flagship, 49 will be for affordable rent, to be allocated to families on the local housing register. The other 23 will go on the market for shared equity buyers. Flagship retains ownership of part of the shared equity property, while the occupant pays off a mortgage on the rest.
Mr Alston said: “Shared equity is great for people starting out, and you can see how it’s changed people's lives.
“It allows buyers with a lower deposit and income to get onto the market, without paying any additional rent for the provider’s equity in the property. It has been fantastic to see people moving into their dream homes where they would usually not be able to”.
A scene from St Giles Park in Cringleford, Norwich.
Shared equity is an alternative to shared ownership, which sees an occupant buy a portion of a home, usually with a mortgage, and pay an affordable rate of rent on the other portion.
Horsham St Faith-based Pentaco Construction is the principal contractor for the development’s current, 10th, phase of 30 homes, which should be finished by August. This phase includes 11 for Flagship – seven for affordable rent and four for shared equity. Works at St Giles Park started in 2021 and is expected to take several more years.