Welcome to our newest scheme, Cerise House
It all started back in November 2022 when we were approached by McCarthy Stone who offered us the opportunity to buy 14 one-bedroom flats.
The Society had already purchased 20 flats from McCarthy Stone in 2017 which had worked well for both organisations and our new scheme had integrated well into the wider community.
After some negotiation, both parties agreed on a price for the development. Norwich City Council agreed to support the development financially with a grant. In addition, we secured a loan from Charity Bank at a favourable rate to cover part of the development costs and the balance was paid for through the proceedings of the sale of our 9 general needs flats at Nelson Street, Norwich.
We convened a small Project Team of Andy Broom (Property Services Manager), John Newstead (Chief Executive Officer) and David Driscoll (Chair of the Board) to work with the Construction Team at McCarthy Stone on the building design and specification.
We also employed Canham Consultants as Project Managers to work with the Site Manager to ensure compliance with building standards and to monitor the quality of workmanship.
There were some “bumps in the road” on the way particularly relating to digital connection issues with the warden call system and a legal oversight on the power supply. However, the development programme was not delayed, and we eventually received the keys for the scheme on 23 September 2024.
The flats themselves have been built to a high energy efficiency standard and the electricity in the communal areas is powered via solar panels.
All the properties are occupied now, and we have a new community that is settling into their new homes.
