new homes
project value
apprentices supported
Park East is a £95 million development in Erith, completed in 2023, with Housing Association Orbit in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley.
The project saw 320 new homes built, of which 20% were for private sale, 24% Shared Ownership and 56% for rent to accommodate a mixed tenure community. As a London Borough, purchasers, if eligible, could take up to a 40% equity loan with the Help-to-Buy scheme for the private sale properties.
Together with our partners Orbit, we were committed to providing opportunities for local people to reduce the amount of unemployed people in Erith and surrounding areas and help combat the skills shortage that there is in the industry.
We hosted two bespoke training courses in Bexley, Building Futures and Construct a Career. The courses supported over 100 unemployed adults in gaining valuable practical and theoretical experience in the construction industry.
The programmes involved site visits to Park East and West Street, another of our sites in Erith, basic health & safety and asbestos awareness training and practical carpentry skills before a celebration event on the final day.
Cllr. Teresa O’Neill OBE
Leader of the London Borough of Bexley
As well as providing training, we provided employment opportunities, which included hiring 37 apprentices and management trainees as well as 68 people in full time employment from the local area.
Caroline Field
Head of Regeneration, Orbit
Throughout our partnership we supported the local community through donations of over £70,000, volunteering and charity work.
This included an IT donation to a local Youth Centre, Active Horizons to help young people who do not have access to computers or WIFI at home with schoolwork or connecting with family and friends.
Yeukia Taruvinga
Director of Active Horizons
Helen Bunch
Executive Managing Director, Wates Residential
The collaboration between Wates and Orbit Homes in the Park East development has been recognised at the WhatHouse? Awards with the Gold Award for Best Partnership Scheme for their regeneration of Park East.
The judges praised the collaborative approach in delivering a thoughtfully designed scheme, with a high level of specification and architectural detail, as well as the palpable community feel that has been generated at what is an exemplar of estate regeneration.
At a local level, Ria Morris, from Wates’ social value team won an Employer and School Partnership award from the GLA and Mayor of London for her work with two SEND schools including workshops and work experience.
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