New accessible homes will offer higher space standards and lower fuel bills to residents

Residents will shortly be moving into their brand new homes at Rookery Road and Highfield Road, Swinton.

Local housing association Guinness Northern Counties has developed the seven affordable homes for local people in partnership with Rotherham MBC.

The £770,000 development has been built with the support of a £398,000 grant from the Homes & Communities Agency. It was handed over on 29th October and comprises two 3-bed homes for sale and five 2-bed bungalows for rent. Two of the bungalows are designed for people with general needs but limited mobility and the remaining three are all fully wheelchair accessible.

The properties will be managed by Guinness Northern Counties and let to people from the local authority’s waiting list.

As well as purpose built, good quality homes designed around their needs, residents will also be able to enjoy lower fuel bills thanks to the inclusion of solar panels on all of the properties. These generate not only power to the homes but income for the residents since Smart Meters have also been installed to enable any surplus electricity they generate to be sold back to the National Grid.

John Ray, Head of Guinness Northern Counties’ East Region said: “We are delighted to have been able to provide these well designed and much needed homes for local people here in Swinton.

“On behalf of Guinness Northern Counties I’d like to thank Rotherham MBC for their assistance and support at every stage and the Project Partnering team made up of external consultants and contractors Bramall Construction for providing a scheme of such high standards. We’ve actually been complimented by local residents, both verbally and by letter, on the way in which Bramall’s have managed to keep the noise and disruption to a minimum throughout the construction process.”

Local Ward Councillor John Doyle, who is also Cabinet Member for Health & Social Care, said: “The teams that have worked on this for the last year have been fabulous and achievements like this are happening all over the borough. We all should be proud of the type of homes we are providing for our residents, we’re building decent homes for decent folk to live in, and that’s something Rotherham should be celebrating!”