The start of work on 400 affordable homes at Dracan Village, Burton-on-Trent, has been marked by a ground-breaking ceremony that saw Countryside, the mixed-tenure developer, welcoming partners to the former power station site in Drakelow Park.
Countryside is working with Midland Heart, the housing association, to provide over 400 affordable properties, as well as Sigma Capital Group plc, one of the leading providers in the build-to-rent market, to bring a completely mixed-tenure offer to the 1,500-home development in Burton-on-Trent.
Countryside and Midland Heart were joined on site by representatives of South Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council, as well as the local Member of Parliament, Heather Wheeler MP, to officially mark the start of a project that is set to transform the brownfield site and the wider area.
All the homes will be closed panel homes built off-site at one of Countryside’s modular factories.
Joe Reeves, executive director of finance and growth at Midlands Heart, said: “It’s great to be onsite at Drakelow to see the early stages of this site. This is going to be a thriving and sustainable community for people to live in affordable housing and we’re really pleased to be part of that in partnership with Countryside.”
Frank McArdle, Chief Executive of South Derbyshire District Council, added: “Today marks the start of a major and long envisaged regeneration project, the aim of which is to create a sustainable community development in the south west of the District of South Derbyshire.”
