Plots: 54

Value: £11M

Status: Completed

This is a site that was controlled by Thakeham. We took the decision that rather than develop the site ourselves we would trade the land and undertake the build for the buyer. As with all our land trades our preference is to sell to one of our RP partners and we were very pleased to select Clarion as our preferred buyer. This built on other projects that had been successfully acquired and developed by the two organisations.

The project was completed with an average defects per plot of 5.6. Clarion have chosen to deliver the scheme as 100% affordable housing. This has created a real windfall for the local authority in securing more affordable housing than was required under policy.

Plots: 125

Value: £23.9M

Status: Onsite

The Thakeham Partnerships Team secured the site for Clarion after successfully partnering on previous projects.​

This site has its challenges; with extreme topography, access considerations required, and unique ecology to name but a few.​

Across all our projects, it’s of upmost importance to Thakeham that the community comes first, at all stages of the build. Initially, the local community was very against the scheme. Access to the site is via an existing housing estate, and parked cars made access tricky.​

Access challenges were further compounded by our need to remove around 3000 lorry loads of chalk and 800 lorry loads of muck.​

We agreed with local residents a route for traffic through the estate, and appointed not only a gateman, but also persons stationed across the estate to ensure traffic was following prescribed routes. We also bought a wheel washing unit, similar to a car wash to ensure minimal muck was spread from the site.​

Plots: 69

Value: £16.2m

Status: Completed

This site is home to an exciting past. It was formerly used during World War 2 as a plant, making parts for Spitfires.

Thakeham Partnerships introduced Clarion to this site which subsequently resulted in them purchasing the site. This purchase presented the team with lots of challenges including, unregistered land, common land, plus the purchase of a care home for development.

This scheme has delivered 100% affordable housing.

Plots: 77

Value: £13.7m

Status: On site

The site was owned by Arun District Council when Thakeham introduced Clarion to the project and assisted them to become the preferred buyer. Once exchange had taken place, Thakeham and its in-house design and planning team oversaw the submission and approval of planning consent for the 77 homes.

The land housed a former refuse tip and therefore much remedial work had to be undertaken before we began construction.

Our affect on the local community was carefully considered as the site lies adjacent to a primary and secondary school, so minimal disruption will be important throughout this project.

Our toughest challenge on site was management of the soil during the initial phase of the development. As this site was a former refuse tip, it required a lot of soil remediation to ensure the safety of the eventual residents. The soil management strategy was developed by the Partnerships team and had to be approved by the environment agency and the local authority.

Following the approval of this document, the site team had to test the dug materials to determine if it could be re used as fill during the construction process or whether it had to all be removed from site. This process meant that the build sequence had to be reviewed regularly ensuring testing had been completed prior to works being undertaken in any given phase of the site.

Once completed, this scheme will deliver 100% rented and Shared Ownership properties, delivering much needed affordable housing for the local area. Addressing the urgency of the housing crisis, Thakeham has accelerated the build program, powering through to provide these homes ahead of schedule.​