BUILDING contractors have welcomed a new long-term housing regeneration programme in Hull. The 13-year agreement between Hull City Council and a consortium of developers and housing providers is expected to see about 4,000 homes being built over the period.
They are all earmarked for council-owned land between Bransholme and Kingswood, in the Preston Road area of east Hull and on two sites near Cottingham in the East Riding.
While the developments are expected to bring in £500m of private-sector investment, council leaders say giving long-term certainty over future building work should also benefit Hull sub- contractors in the construction industry.
The consortium, which includes housebuilders Keepmoat and Strata Homes, has been given a target of employing 85 per cent of its workforce from the Hull area during the programme.
At Keepmoat's current housing scheme at the former Amy Johnson school site off Hawthorn Avenue in west Hull, the local labour figure is 87 per cent.
Site manager Wayne Edwards said: "We're proud of that because we want as many people from Hull working here as we can."
Among those contributing to that figure are staff from HCR Environmental Services in Bontoft Avenue, west Hull.
The company provides cleaning services for the construction cabins at the site and the new homes.
Owner David Pearcy said: "This has got to be good news for companies like ourselves, who provide services for developers such as Keepmoat.
"We initially started on one site with them in Hull and now we're on five Keepmoat sites across Yorkshire.
"They have got a good track record for using local contractors and for them to be involved in something like this over a number of years is going to be a big plus."
Staff from his company carry out a three-stage clean of every new property before it is occupied.
"We do an initial clean on each house after the main building work is completed," said Mr Pearcy.
"Then we do a second clean after the carpets have gone down and all the snagging works have been completed.
"After that, we do a final clean the day before it is handed over to the customer.
"On top of that, we do all the cabins every day so there is a lot of work involved."
Mark Knight, managing director for Keepmoat Homes Yorkshire, said: "We are delighted to be part of this major transformational project.
"We have been committed to Hull for a number of years and are proud to be able to continue this for many more.
"We know that our consortium can add real value to the already good work being undertaken across the city by delivering an improved housing offer, assisting with community and economic stimulation and creating more jobs for the city's residents."
RACHEL Winn surprised herself by landing an apprenticeship at Keepmoat's Hawthorn Avenue development in west Hull.
The 16-year-old left Endeavour High School last summer knowing she was interested in finding an office work placement.
But even she did not expect to secure a position after just five days.
"I went through City Works, filled in an application and got an interview straight away," she said.
The teenager now works five days a week as an administration assistant at the site.
"I am really enjoying it. At first, it was a bit daunting being here on a big building site, but I see it as good experience for me."
The council's new long-term housing initiative will see 300 apprenticeship opportunities being created over its 13-year life span.
In addition, the development consortium will fund a two-year study programme at different schools in Hull leading to a recognised GCSE-equivalent qualification.
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