A contract where the district council has accepted tenders and awarded for construction of 14 new properties has been approved.

The homes will be built in Loughton and Ongar as part of the Council Housebuilding programme.

TSG Building Services PLC was awarded the contract to undertake the construction of five properties on Chequers Road and Bushfields, Loughton, in the sum of £1,365,481 over a 38-week construction period.

A further three properties are expected to be completed within 34 weeks on Chester Road, Loughton, with a cost of £747,395.

Finally, a recommend acceptance of a tender submitted was also awarded the contract to undertake to build of six properties on Queensway, Ongar & Millfield, Higher Ongar in for £1,372,925.

Housing and Property Services portfolio holder, Councillor Holly Whitbread put forward a progress report from the Council’s Housebuilding Cabinet Committee at the Cabinet meeting on February.

So far, 91 new homes have been delivered to date and a further 72 more homes are in progress for phase four of the programme which should be completed by January 2022.

This leaves 111 units of the 300 new properties target to find, plan and deliver by the year 2025 which the Cabinet Committee say should be achievable, if not exceeded.

Phase four of the housebuilding programme has involved a new employers agent, advisers and due diligence team of consulting engineers in order to complete construction on time.

Site investigations have also been carried out by the Council’s Development Team of advisors following feedback from The Interim Housing Development Manager.