Darling Associates has been selected by former Essential Living managing director to design three mixed-tenure residential schemes worth £365m
Co-founder of the UK’s first build-to-rent developer and operator Essential Living, Scott Hammond, recently launched his new housebuilding business Eutopia Homes.
Eutopia Homes has secured a £365m development pipeline, with mixed-tenure residential schemes blending build-to-rent and for-sale homes in key regional cities.
The firm has sites in Greater Manchester, Exeter and Birmingham. Its strategy is to focus on delivering mid-market homes across a range of tenures close to transport hubs.
Residential scheme in Salford
Eutopia Homes’ latest scheme is a £105m development in Salford that will deliver 500 homes, offering a mix of build-to-rent and market-sale apartments spread across two adjacent plots in the inner-city Ordsall area with waterside views.
The area is currently seeing a boom in development, with 1,250 residential units in planning. Eutopia’s 2.8-acre site rests on the banks of the River Irwell, a short distance east of MediaCityUK.
Exeter scheme
Eutopia’s £130m Exeter site will deliver 104 houses and 66 apartments for sale, 230 build-to-rent homes and a 65-bed retirement community across 15 acres of land acquired from Network Rail.
Subject to planning in the New Year, start on-site is expected Q3 2020.
Digbeth plans
In Digbeth, Birmingham, Eutopia has submitted plans for £130m mixed-use residential scheme featuring a 167-bed hotel, affordable workspace and 480 homes on a four-acre site acquired from Mucklow plc.
The site is occupied by engineering firm Sulzer, who are moving to a new purpose-built facility in Q2 2020.
Tomas Pierce, director at Darling Associates, said: “We are delighted to be working with Scott on an exciting new brand that promises to raise the bar for housing across the regions.
“Having recently expanded into Manchester, we have an extremely strong presence across the north-west, and are able to commit some amazing local talent to many of the exciting regeneration schemes that are now spreading out around the country.
“We are seeing a trend towards mixed-use, mixed-tenure developments and these schemes will help raise the standard of living while retaining a harmonious design that blends in with the existing architecture and cityscapes.
“Considerable investment is continuing to flow into build-to-rent, and the improving regional economy is supporting the housing for-sale market across Manchester. Eutopia’s exciting blend of tenures and focus on high quality design for the mid-market is the right product for the right time.”
Scott Hammond, founder and CEO at Eutopia Homes, added: “UK regional cities are attracting swathes of investment, thanks to rising student retention rates, improving culture and leisure scenes and new employment opportunities driven by major corporates moving operations outside of London.
“By creating mixed-tenure developments, we can help create genuine communities, accelerate delivery and de-risk development while meeting a range of housing needs.”
