ASCENT HOUSING
New Community Centre
development gets underway
W
ork is now well and
truly underway at a new
community
centre
being built in Leek.
Ascent Housing LLP, a
partnership
between
Staffordshire Moorlands District
Council and Your Housing
Group, is building the new
Haregate Community Centre as
part of the programme to build
370 affordable homes in the
Moorlands by March 2015.
Partnership representatives
visited the Leek site at the end of
October as work got underway to
mark the start of the project
which is expected to open next
summer.
Councillor Gill Burton,
cabinet
member
for
communities at Staffordshire
Moorlands District Council,
said: “It’s great to see work
starting on the new centre which
will be a modern asset that the
whole community can enjoy
“As well as providing high
quality, affordable homes for
people across the Moorlands, a
key aim of the Ascent
programme is to support the
communities it serves by
investing in similarly high
quality amenities. This new
centre in Haregate demonstrates
how we are delivering on that
promise.”
The group also visited the
site where 95 homes will be
built. Work is due to start on
these in the next few months.
The majority of the homes will
be available at an affordable
24 Leek Life November/December 2013
rent, with a number available for
shared ownership. Three of the
homes built in Leek will be
available for people with
physical disabilities.
Mrs Bridget Johnson, Chair
of Your Moorlands (part of Your
Housing Group) added: “The
Ascent programme is benefitting
the Moorlands in so many ways.
Not only are we building
sustainable, affordable homes
and community facilities to
bring local people together, but
we’re also creating a significant
number of new jobs and
apprenticeship opportunities for
local residents. We’ve seen two
examples today of the difference
this programme is making in
Leek alone – it’s an exciting time
to be involved with this project.”