Construction starts on 35 affordable homes in Norfolk market town
Work has started on a new affordable housing development just a stone’s throw from a major railway line. Called Station View, in Vince’s Road, Diss, the 35-home development includes 21 homes for affordable rent and 14 for shared ownership.
Flagship Group’s housebuilding arm, Flagship Homes, is behind the project, which has received grant funding from Homes England.
Tony Tann, Flagship Homes’ managing director, said: “I’m very happy to be under way here in Diss, and I’m excited to see these high-quality homes come together to offer a community for people to live and love, and also extremely grateful for the support from Homes England. Without that, this scheme would not be possible.”
The site is next to the Great Eastern Main Line which connects Norwich to London, and Diss’ station is just a short walk away.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) will be used on the project, meaning timber frames will built in a factory and then assembled on-site, improving quality control and reducing the build time.
Each home will have an air-source heat pump and an electric vehicle charging point. Some will also have a system called Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), which allows fresh air to be filtered in while retaining most of the energy that has already been used in heating the building.
The affordable rent homes will be managed by Flagship’s housing association Victory Homes. Construction firm Marfleet & Blyth is the major contractor on the project.
Kyle Crush, construction manager at Marfleet & Blyth, said: “It’s a pleasure to continue working with Flagship. We’re really thrilled to see Station View coming to life, and it’s something we know will have a real impact within the local neighbourhood.
“It’s all about providing homes to help the community grow and develop, so it’s something we’re more than happy to be a part of.”
Simon Floor, Flagship’s project manager added: “It’s great to be working with Marfleet & Blyth once again to bring energy-efficient, future-ready homes to the local area.”
The site includes a large green space to be transformed into a play area, and other open spaces will be set aside to increase biodiversity in the area. The project has already proven its green credentials – 49 trees were moved from the path of the development to parkland at Bury St Edmunds, in a scheme which recently won a Biodiversity and Nature Award at the Unlock Net Zero awards.
The homes are set to be finished by autumn 2025.
Photo captions: Credit to Flagship Group
- From left, Flagship Homes’ managing director Tony Tann, head of partnerships Anna Cook-Bacon, and project manager Simon Floor with Marfleet & Blyth’s construction manager Kyle Crush and site manager Jamie Kirk at the Station View development in Vince’s Road, Diss
- From left, Flagship Homes’ Tony Tann, Anna Cook-Bacon and Simon Floor outside the Station View development.