Osborne Sign Partner Charter for Affordable Housing

Osborne has signed Crawley Borough Council’s Crawley Developer and Partner Charter.

Osborne is constructing 22 homes at Brunel Place, which are due to be completed by the end of March 2015. The site will be 100% per cent affordable housing, as part of the Crawley Homes affordable housing scheme.

The charter, signed by Garfield Coombs, Director for Homes at Osborne, and Cllr Peter Smith, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development, encourages partners to make the most of all opportunities for local people and businesses.

Speaking at the signing, Garfield Coombs said: “In these difficult economic times, it is nice to see a local authority prioritising investment in affordable housing. We are delighted to have an opportunity to actively participate in Crawley’s home building programme, and even more pleased to be invited to take on the status of partner. We very much value this relationship and look forward to working more with Crawley in the future.”

Once signed up, developers and partners will need to demonstrate their willingness to employ local people, create local supplier opportunities and contribute to raising skills for people in the area.

Examples include committing to providing apprenticeships; promoting opportunities for local businesses to provide services and materials; keeping local people well-informed of potential opportunities; supporting local community-driven initiatives and working closely with local organisations like Central Sussex College and secondary schools to promote the value of skills and training.

Cllr Peter Smith said: “It’s important for Crawley Borough Council to be able to provide affordable, quality housing that suits the residents of Crawley’s needs, whilst being within close proximity to the town centre.

“Osborne and Crawley felt it was important to create environmentally-friendly homes in order to enable sustainable living patterns and reduced running costs for the occupants. Some of the features incorporated include high levels of insulation, solar panels and bike racks for the residents to benefit from.”