Residents at Sole Street in Gravesend celebrate the launch of a new housing development with Gravesham Borough Council and Moat

On Tuesday 19 January, representatives from Gravesham Borough Council and Moat celebrated the official launch of the Scratton Fields development in Sole Street, Gravesend, Kent. To mark the occasion, they handed over keys to new resident, Rebekah Clarke and her daughter Phoebe (aged two).

The rural development comprises five properties for affordable rent, 2 x one bedroom apartments and 3 x two bedroom apartments, which were available exclusively to those with local connections. The homes were designed by Cook Associates and developed by BASI Construction.

They were constructed using a Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) System, supplied and constructed by Innovare Systems using off site construction methods. At the Scratton Fields development, the SIP system has helped Moat to provide the first homes in Kent to reach Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, meaning that residents can enjoy dryer, warmer housing, lower heating costs and reduced noise levels from neighbouring properties.

Rebekah was able to move into Scratton Fields thanks to her family living in nearby Cobham. She is absolutely over the moon about her new home and says; “This move has made a huge difference to me and my daughter. Not only is it plenty big enough for the two of us, I also feel secure and Phoebe can feel safe as she grows up and explores – as two year olds tend to do! It is amazing to be back where my family lives. They’re just down the road and we visited them loads over Christmas without any lengthy train journeys. There is no way we could have afforded a home like this without Moat and Gravesham Borough Council. We’re so grateful!”

Lead Member for Housing at Gravesham Borough Council, Councillor Anthony Pritchard, says; “I am so very pleased to be part of delivering affordable housing to our rural areas where open market rents and prices are so far beyond the reach of our local population. We will constantly seek to ensure such facilities are delivered.”

Sally Rice, Moat’s director of development, says; “We are delighted to be able to offer affordable, high quality housing to local people in this area. Scratton Fields is a beautiful development of environmentally friendly homes in a rural area where residents could not otherwise have afforded to live. We are pleased to have worked in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council to ensure that local people can remain in the community.”

Rebekah’s story
Rebekah Clarke and her daughter, Phoebe, moved into their brand new home at Scratton Fields in Gravesend, Kent in December 2009. They rent the two bedroom apartment from Moat and couldn’t be happier.

Previously, Rebekah and Phoebe had been living elsewhere in Kent. When she initially moved out of her childhood home, Rebekah had wanted to remain close to her family in Cobham but found property prices were outside of her budget so she was forced to move outside of the area. The home she moved to was not perfect by any means and there were issues affecting her sense of security at home. The local neighbourhood was not safe – there had been a murder, car fire and physical attack in the area all within months of each other! Rebekah was very unhappy bringing Phoebe up in such a dangerous environment. As well as the neighbourhood issues, Rebekah’s home had several overdue repairs including an exposed pipe and Rebekah was worried about Phoebe’s safety while she was learning to crawl.

Early in 2009 Rebekah heard about new homes being built in the parish of Cobham that would be allocated to applicants registered with Gravesham Borough Council who had a local connection to the parish. As Rebekah’s family still lives in Cobham and she wanted to move closer to her family again, she was eligible to apply for one of the new homes. Scratton Fields is just two minutes away from her family home. Rebekah bid for one of the news homes through Choice Based Lettings and was successful with her bid.

In December 2009, Rebekah received a visit from Moat’s neighbourhood officer who asked if she could move in within two weeks! A week after the visit, a delighted Rebekah and Phoebe packed up and moved into their beautiful new apartment.

Their new home is spacious and has plenty of room for Phoebe to grow. Rebekah is getting used to the quiet neighbourhood and loves how friendly her new neighbours are!

Rebekah says; “Our new home has made a big difference. Not only is it plenty big enough for the two of us, I also feel secure and Phoebe can feel safe as she grows up and explores – as two year olds tend to do! It is amazing to be back where my family lives. They’re just down the road and we visited them loads over Christmas without any lengthy train journeys. There is no way we could have afforded a home like this without Moat and Gravesham Borough Council. We’re so grateful!”

About Gravesham Borough Council:
Gravesham Borough Council is the local authority covering the towns of Gravesend and Northfleet on the River Thames and the villages to the south and east including Higham, Shorne, Meopham, Sole Street, Cobham, Culverstone, Luddesdown and Vigo. The borough has a population of 97,000 people and covers 9,900 hectares. It is central to the Thames Gateway area in north west Kent.

About Moat:
Moat is a housing association providing affordable homes in thriving communities for people in the South East. For over forty years, Moat has delivered high quality general needs homes for affordable rent, supported accommodation and tenancy support services, and has a strong affordable home ownership offer.

Moat is one of the Homes and Communities Agency’s development partners and is also the government’s appointed HomeBuy Agent in Essex, Kent and Sussex. Employing 450 people, Moat provides excellent customer service to residents of our 20,000 affordable rented and shared ownership homes.

In the South, Moat owns and manages over 7,700 homes across 21 local authority areas in Kent and Sussex.

Moat is an active partner in the Stanhope and Christian Fields regeneration projects and is involved in providing affordable homes across Kent including the Medway towns and Thames Gateway.
www.moat.co.uk
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