Eastlight brings new, affordable homes to Whitton

Eastlight takes on affordable homes in Ipswich from developer Bellway.

Eastlight is supporting the delivery of 67 high-quality affordable homes as part of an apple orchard-inspired 190-home development at Old Norwich Road in Whitton, Ipswich.

The Bellway development has been named to honour Whitton’s apple-growing heritage, particularly the Ridley family’s apple orchard that was founded on local land.

The Eastlight homes at Ridleys Orchard aim to help some of the 2,800 households currently on Ipswich Borough Council’s housing waiting list and will also support others in realising the dream of low-cost home ownership. The housing association will ease local housing pressure by providing 45 new homes for affordable rent and 22 for shared ownership, comprising a mix of maisonettes, houses and bungalows.

With great transport links to London via the A14 and Ipswich and Westerfield train stations, residents can also enjoy on-site facilities with a range of environmental considerations, including a children’s play area, a hedgehog highway and provision for electric vehicle chargers for all homes with driveways.

Commercial Director at Bellway Homes, Mathieu Kohl, said:

“Bellway is proud to have worked in collaboration with Eastlight for more than ten years now, developing a robust working relationship that provides quality social housing for various communities across Essex and Suffolk.

“This development, in a rural part of the Essex-Suffolk boundary, benefits from large public open space for dog walking and play areas; a perfect environment to boost mental wellbeing.

“Offering 190 homes in total, across both the private and social sector, Ridley’s Orchard is a perfect location and opportunity for everyone looking for a move or in need of a quality home.”

Andrew Allocca, Head of Delivery & Aftercare at Eastlight, added:

“We believe that having access to a safe, comfortable and affordable place to call home is a basic right that should be afforded to everyone.

“With as many as 90,000 people in the East of England waiting for a new home, Ridleys Orchard is a fantastic opportunity to serve an area of the country which is in real need of affordable housing, while giving local people that much-need boost by getting their foot on the property ladder.

“We’re pleased to develop a strong working partnership with Bellway in a key local authority area for Eastlight, alongside property and construction consultancy, Calfordseaden and Babergh Mid-Suffolk Council, as key collaborators in the project.”

42 out of the 67 new homes have been completed. The full development is expected to be complete in Spring 2025.

Interested Ipswich residents can explore Eastlight’s shared ownership opportunities at Ridleys Orchard, or register their interest in future homes, by emailing shared.ownership@eastlighthomes.co.uk

Alternatively, please call Eastlight on 0330 128 0330 (local rate) or visit the Eastlight website.