Architect appointed on £180m Northern building framework

Manchester-based architects’ practice, AEW has been appointed by JV North, a consortium of northern housing associations, for its £180m home building framework.

The announcement comes only a month after the firm completed the transfer of a specialist housing team to increase its capability to deliver projects in the housing sector.

JV North comprises 11 housing associations across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Nottingham and Preston.

AEW is one of eight architects to have been selected to work on projects with a construction value of at least £1million in value over the next four years. These eight architects join a further 12 contractors and 10 consultants already appointed.

Approximately 2,000 homes for rent or sale will be delivered through this latest framework, with the second stage of JV North’s framework for projects under £1million due to be launched imminently.

Overall, JV North plans to spend £335.5m building nearly 3,000 new homes under the Government’s Shared Ownership Affordable Homes Programme.

Colin Savage, framework lead at AEW, said: “Our teams’ skills, knowledge and advice together with the firm’s commercial experience has resulted in us successfully securing the practice’s first social housing framework instruction.

“Having worked with many housing associations, we have developed an in-depth understanding of how to unlock land and create sustainable housing developments to a high standard. We look forward to working closely with the consortium and the wider project team to deliver these much-needed homes.”

Nigel Wilson, chair of JV North, said: “Since our formation nearly nine years ago the JV North consortium has physically delivered one new property every working day – something we are extremely proud of. We have been allocated approximately £90million in grant from the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver just under 3,000 further properties over the coming four years. To achieve that and produce high quality homes we need a highly skilled team in place.”

The seven architects appointed are: AEW Architects, Arcus Consulting, Bernard Taylor Partnership, BYA, Halsall Lloyd Partnership, John McCall, MDA Architects and Paddock Johnson Partnership.