College land makes way for ‘top of the class’ homes

A new development of more than 250 homes in Loughton, Essex, will contribute to redevelopment of an exciting new campus for Epping Forest College.

Redrow Homes has acquired 10 acres of land from the college adjacent to Borders Lane in Loughton, where it will create a high quality residential development with a finished value of circa £60 million.

At the same time, the Further Education college – which has circa 2,500 full-time students – is using the proceeds from the land sale as part of the funding of its campus redevelopment which will see all the outdated accommodation replaced by an exciting new state-of-the-art building.

Redrow has just been granted planning permission for its scheme, to be called The Rodings, and Geoff Keer, land director for Redrow Homes (Eastern), says: “This is a great opportunity for us to provide good quality housing in the area for young professionals and families alike and, at the same time, for the college to enhance its offering to local people.

“Loughton is a fantastic place to live thanks to its attractive forest surroundings and also its handy distance from London. Being so close to the college and all of its amenities will also bring advantages for both sides.

“As well as building circa 250 new homes, we will be upgrading the road leading to the development and making a substantial donation towards environmental works in the area. There will also be a number of affordable houses at The Rodings.”

With its wide range of courses and training for a diverse student population of all ages and abilities, Epping Forest College is a vibrant and exciting centre of learning. From media to motor vehicles, childcare to computing, beauty to biology, whether studying full or part time, the college offers opportunities for all.

College Campus Project Director David Latham, comments: “This partnership with Redrow has been extremely beneficial for the college. Without it we would not have been able to move forward with our plans to redevelop the campus. The current buildings are beyond their sell-by date and now, with this cash injection from Redrow, we can provide our students and staff with a dynamic new learning environment. Surrounded by The Rodings, the major improvements to the local amenities and Underground station, and the new business developments sharing the skyline with our new College building, I think the local community can now look forward to a significant regeneration of this part of Loughton.”

Based in Basildon, Redrow’s Eastern subsidiary is already building in Colchester and Heybridge, near Maldon, in Essex. The company is also active in Kent and Suffolk.

Redrow is hoping to launch sales at The Rodings this summer and to have the first new homes ready for occupation by summer 2008.

For further information, visit redrow.co.uk.