New Swainby Development Endeavours to Help Community Thrive

Published by Esme Trelease for Endeavour Housing Association in Housing and also in Communities

Endeavour Housing Association’s latest development of six family homes in the picture postcard village ofS wainby near Northallerton has been completed.

The scheme, which was developed in partnership with Hambleton District Council with support from Whorlton Parish Council, will go some way to alleviating the housing need that has become more and more prevalent in the area in recent years. All of the new residents have a strong local connection to the area, and their new homes enable them to live in Swainby when this might not have been otherwise possible.

The scheme, which is situated in the beautiful North Yorkshire National Park, comprises of six spacious semi-detached, two and three bedroom homes. Endeavour worked closely with the National Park Authority to ensure that the development complimented its surroundings and met planning requirements.

More than looking beautiful, the red-brick houses provide excellent standards of space for new residents, as well as good sized gardens and ample parking. They are constructed to the highest standard, using cutting edge building methods including ‘thin joint’ block work, which allows speedy construction whilst ensuring minimum heat loss. Coupled with a wide range of eco-features including high levels of insulation, solar panels and a ventilation system with heat recovery, residents will be able to enjoy warm homes and vastly reduced heating bills. Given that Swainby is not serviced by a mains gas supply and is reliant on electricity, these energy efficient measures are very important.

The £900,000 scheme has been well received in the village. Following an open day at which residents from Swainby and neighbouring villages had the opportunity to tour the new homes, Hazel Warhurst from neighbouring Ingleby Arncliffe Parish Council, said “I am most impressed with the scheme, particularly the imaginative use of space This is a lovely job and an attractive development at the entrance to Swainby village. Excellent energy conservation features have been  incorporated with the houses, an example which should be followed by more developers these days.”

In addition to the development, which sits on the site of a former garage forecourt, Endeavour is also re-developing and modernising the existing garage building, which will be used as a car repair and maintenance unit, ensuring that a much valued service remains in the village.

Angela Lockwood, Chief Executive of North Star Housing Group, Endeavour’s parent company, explains why this is such an important development.

“There is a definite shortage of affordable housing for local people in rural areas like Swainby. The consequences of this are often severe, with families and young people who would dearly love to remain in the areas in which they were raised, forced to seek more affordable housing elsewhere.

At Endeavour, we are passionate about supporting rural communities to thrive and grow, and with the development at Swainby, we feel that we are taking positive steps to do just that.”