Watson Burton advise Leach Homes on affordable housing developments

National commercial law firm Watson Burton has advised housebuilder Leach Homes on the construction of two affordable housing developments.

The two sites, in Cambridge Road, Sawbridgeworth and Tyler’s Close, Buntingford, will be designed and constructed in line with the Government’s Housing Strategy for England, with 40 percent of each development being allocated to affordable housing in the county.

Under the scheme, Hertfordshire-based Leach Homes acquired the land and sold the affordable element onto registered provider South Anglia Housing. In total there will be over 100 quality residential units which will be constructed by the housebuilder. The planned developments will consist of a mix of private market units and affordable units for rent and shared ownership.

Watson Burton’s housebuilders group advised Leach Homes on legal issues surrounding the two developments, providing advice on real estate and construction matters. Partners George Parker-Fuller and James Harrison finalised the land contract on behalf of Leach Homes, liaised with the housebuilder and advisors of South Anglia Housing on the sale of the two sites and drafted and negotiated the build contracts on the developments.  

James Harrison, partner in construction and engineering at Watson Burton, said: “The Government’s aim is to ensure that all homes created in England are of high quality, sustainable and well designed – both of these developments are consistent with those aims and will make a great addition to Hertfordshire once they are complete. At Watson Burton, we are acutely aware of the pressures currently being placed upon the housebuilding industry and are pleased to be in a position to provide support to clients such as Leach Homes on new developments.”

Danny Jolly, Chief Surveyor of Leach Homes said: “The issue of affordable housing is a hot topic for the housebuilding industry at the moment and is an integral part of the work currently being undertaken by our organisation. Our team is committed to the development of quality homes which are built with our customers needs in mind and we believe that these two new developments will produce great homes for Hertfordshire’s residents.

“The team at Watson Burton demonstrated a passion for sustainable housing that reflects our own. We chose them to advise us on these developments because of their excellent customer service, high level knowledge and attention to detail, which is critical on projects like this.”