14 new homes built as part of £15 million development on Portland
Construction is taking place on the former Southwell Primary School site
The first phase of a £15m development of nearly 50 new homes on Portland has been officially opened.
Cllr Charlie Flack, deputy mayor of Portland Town Council, performed the honours when he cut a ribbon during a ceremony at May Bower Gardens.
A total of 48 homes are being built by Dorchester-based Koori Ltd - part of the Redtale Group of companies - on the former Southwell Primary School site in Sweethill Lane.
They include nine for local people in the island’s first scheme for Portland Community Land Trust (CLT).
Guests at the opening ceremony and open day included councillors, property purchasers, local residents, Koori employees and their families, sub-contractors and Portland CLT chair Andy Matthews. They were able to view the show home and those properties under construction.
Cllr Flack said: “It is with great pleasure that I open the first phase of May Bower Gardens.
“Portland Town Council’s planning team were quite excited when they first saw a presentation of proposals for the former school site some years ago.
“Although Dorset Council makes the final planning decision, Portland Town Council’s planning committee has been more than happy to support this development and it is very pleasing to see the first homes completed.”
A total of 14 properties have been built in the first phase of the regeneration of the brownfield site, with half already sold off plan.
The project has created 25 full-time skilled jobs for local people during construction on the 1.3 hectare site and another 25 offsite.
As well as land for the CLT properties, Koori has contributed £450,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy payments for local facilities.
Malcolm Curtis, chief executive the Redtale Group, said at the opening ceremony: “The traditional family homes in front of us today stand as a testament to our collective ethos of building well-designed homes in good sustainable locations which are a little bit bigger and a little bit better, and which will stand the test of time.
“We don’t just build houses, we consider that we build generational communities. I would like to thank everyone who played a part in delivering on this vision, the trades that created these homes, the homeowners who have bought into our vision and Portland Town Council for its support.”
May Bower Gardens is due for final completion in 2027. The properties are being built using air-tight and thermally efficient construction methods along with low zero carbon (LZC) technologies as well as local materials where possible.
They include electric vehicle charging throughout and air source heat pumps.
The CLT homes form part of Koori’s affordable housing contribution for the site. Portland CLT is a community benefit organisation run by an elected board of members from the community to meet the housing needs of local people.