Hundreds of affordable award-winning homes completed in Oxford

Housing association Peabody, with partners Oxford City Council and The Hill Group, has finished building 273 fully affordable homes at Newman Place in Littlemore Park, Oxford.

Published: 19/12/2023

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The partners came together on Friday 8 December to mark the major milestone. The event was attended by Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing at Oxford City Council and Councillor Anna Railton, cabinet member for zero carbon Oxford and climate justice.

Of the 273 homes, 111 have been built for social rent, and the remaining 162 have been built for shared ownership. Peabody has delivered a range of affordable apartments and houses for first-time buyers, as well as three-, four- and five-bedroom family homes and wheelchair-accessible homes.

The development has been built on a former NHS site located just under four miles south of the world-class city centre. To honour this, priority has been given to NHS workers seeking a shared ownership home, 30 of whom have now moved in.

The area includes landscaped open space, natural play equipment, and public art installations to commemorate the heritage of Littlemore Park Hospital.

Three of the buildings are fitted with solar panels, and there will be electrical vehicle charging points across the site. Alongside this, two natural habitats are being created for local wildlife made from all-natural materials to enhance biodiversity and protect local slow worm populations.

New cycleways and footpaths connect Newman Place with the neighbouring brook, countryside, and The Oxford Science Park.

Newman Place recently made the news for scooping the Best Shared Ownership Development award at the 2023 Inside Housing Development Awards. It was also shortlisted for Best Development (101-500 homes). The judges commented: "We can't fault this development - to make it 100 percent shared ownership for a huge range of different needs, in a traditionally unaffordable area, whilst also ensuring the design enhances the landscape and responding to the heritage, is really well done."

It has been named Newman Place after Saint John Henry Newman, with the name of each apartment building also reflecting a notable person with a connection to the area, including Wilson House, Atwater House, and Standford House.

Simon Barry, Regional Managing Director, Development North Counties at Peabody, said: “This new collection of nearly 300 affordable homes is great news for local people wanting to get off the housing wait list or on the housing ladder.

“Oxford is an incredible city, but it’s also one of the most expensive places to live outside London, and this makes the delivery of affordable homes challenging. Newman Place is a 100 percent affordable, award-winning scheme built for Oxford residents.

“We had a fantastic time celebrating with our partners and look forward to welcoming new residents to homes at a price they can afford, and so close to the city centre.”

Councillor Linda Smith, cabinet member for housing at Oxford City Council, said: “Peabody’s 273 award-winning homes at Newman Place are an integral part of our four-year target to deliver 1,600 affordable homes by the end of 2025/26. Each new home for social rent makes a life-changing difference in Oxford, one of the UK’s most unaffordable places to live. And shared ownership helps people like first-time buyers, key workers and under-40s onto the housing ladder in a city they would otherwise be priced out of. Oxford needs affordable homes. Peabody and Hill are helping us deliver.”

Ryan Harris, Regional Director at The Hill Group said: “We are delighted to be here marking this significant milestone at Newman Place with our partners Peabody and Oxford City Council. It was wonderful to work with clients who share the same core values regarding collaboration and partnership, which ultimately leads to a positive outcome for the project and all its stakeholders.

“We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to deliver 273 new affordable homes for individuals and families, enabling the retention of key skills to support the city's economic growth.”