Local housebuilder Story Homes has contributed a six-figure sum to the improve the provision of local recreational facilities as part of its housing development in Carlisle, The Ridings.
In line with the Section 106 (S106) agreement between the housebuilder and Carlisle City Council, Story Homes has paid approximately £239,753 in community contributions to help mitigate any impact the development may have on existing local services and facilities in the area.
The financial contributions from Story Homes shall be used towards new recreation and fitness equipment (£174,588), new CCTV equipment and security measures (£12,657) and landscape and drainage improvements to Upperby Park (£52,508) all in the Upperby area. These new recreational facilities will not only benefit existing and future Story Homes residents, they will also have a positive impact on the wider community in south Carlisle.
Throughout the lifecycle of The Ridings development – which began construction in 2014 – Story Homes has made a number of ongoing contributions to the local community. Back in 2017, Story Homes and Story Contracting worked together to refurbish the munch-loved miniature railway facilities at Hammonds Pond, just a short distance from The Ridings, also carrying out necessary maintenance to the club building and providing members of the Carlisle And District Model Engineering Society with brand new uniforms.
Story Homes also contributed approximately £34,000 towards the cost and installation of a large drain to alleviate the risk of flooding at Oaklands Drive – an area which has suffered from historical flooding.
David Hayward, Development Planner at Story Homes, said: “The homes that we build are part of wider communities, so helping to improve facilities within the local area is very important to us.
“The Ridings scheme has appropriately responded to the needs of local residents and continues to provide support for facilities in the area. As a Carlisle-headquartered business it is great to be able to bring these improvements and benefits to the residents of the city, adding long term value to the area.”
The Story Homes properties at The Ridings continue to improve choice across the local housing market and help increase direct and indirect investment in local shops, services and facilities. Furthermore, the development is bringing economic benefits to the area during the construction phase, including sustaining jobs for local subcontractors and support for local businesses and supply chains. The current development phase is also delivering 28 affordable homes for local people.
The Ridings is a development of 3, 4, and 5-bedroom high quality new homes, on land close to Durdar, Carlisle. The final phase of the development will include a range of new house types from the ‘Story Collection’; these properties incorporate the best of a Story home in terms of design and elevations to retain Story Homes’ unique street scenes, plus internal layouts that offer modern, open plan living spaces which meet market demands.
For further information about the development please visit www.storyhomes.co.uk. The show home and marketing suite is open Thursday – Monday, 10.30am – 4.30pm.
