Vistry, the UK’s leading specialist mixed-tenure housebuilder, and Sanctuary, one of the UK’s leading social housing providers, have expanded their partnership through a joint venture that will help bring forward Hopfields, a 2,204-home mixed-use community in south Worcester, providing a mix of open market, social and affordable homes.
The partnership puts into action the strategy Vistry set out in September, which will see the Group become a more focused business, concentrating on regions, sites and partnerships where its mixed-tenure model performs best. The Midlands represents one of the Group’s priority regions, alongside the North and West, while long-term relationships with housing associations such as Sanctuary remain at the centre of how Vistry delivers its partnerships-based business model.
Located between St Peter’s and Kempsey, Hopfields has outline planning consent and will form a key part of Worcester’s southern urban extension. The wider plans include a local centre, primary school, employment space, sports and community facilities, a hotel, care provision, health facilities and new green infrastructure.
At least 20% of the homes will be social and affordable, in line with the development’s planning obligations, with flexibility to deliver additional homes as affordable housing. The site will be brought forward through a range of routes, including Vistry’s partnership-led model, open market homes, and opportunities for additional delivery partners to develop parcels across the site.
Many of the homes will be built using timber frames manufactured by Vistry Works, the Group’s in-house manufacturing operation, which sits at the core of its operational and sustainability strategy. Timber-frame construction is around six weeks faster than traditional brick and block and reduces embodied carbon by around 30% over a 60-year period, while supporting consistent quality on site.
Hopfields is part of Sanctuary’s ambitious programme to deliver more social and affordable homes and invest in sustainable communities. Through partnerships with organisations such as Vistry, Sanctuary is helping to increase housing supply, broaden housing choice and create places where people can thrive.
Adam Daniels, Chief Executive of Vistry, said:
“When we set out the findings of our CEO Review in September, we were clear that Vistry would become a more focused business, concentrating on the regions, sites and partnerships where our mixed-tenure model performs best. Hopfields serves as a strong example of our renewed focus in practice. The Midlands is one of our priority regions, the site already benefits from planning consent, and it is being delivered through the long-term partnership approach on which our model is built. Our aim now is to replicate this disciplined approach across the Group, and we expect Hopfields to be one of many schemes that reflect the way we will operate in the years ahead.”
James Warrington, Executive Chair, North, South Midlands and East Division at Vistry, said:
“Hopfields is a major investment in Worcester’s future and shows what can be achieved when land, housing and infrastructure are brought together through a partnership-led approach.
Craig Moule, Group Chief Executive at Sanctuary, said:
“Hopfields represents a significant opportunity to create a thriving new community and provide much-needed homes for people across Worcester. Building on our long-standing partnership with Vistry, this development will deliver new homes, supported by the infrastructure, services and green spaces that help communities flourish.