Network Homes celebrates the completion of £34 million regeneration project in Hertford

Leading housing association Network Homes has celebrated the completion of a £34 million regeneration project in Sele Farm in Hertford.

The old 1960s Ridgeway estate has been transformed into a stylish neighbourhood of 120 new affordable homes for local families with the final residents due to move in soon.

A special launch event was hosted at Sele Farm Community Centre on Friday 11 October. Guests including the Mayor of Hertford, Rosemary Bolton, and the Chairman of East Herts Council, Jonathan Kaye, were then taken for a tour of the new homes.

The redevelopment has seen large outdated blocks of flats replaced with traditional streets built around attractive landscaped gardens and communal spaces. Residents were involved throughout and voted overwhelmingly for the old estate to be demolished and rebuilt.

The new neighbourhood was funded using a combination of grants from the government’s housing agency Homes England, Network Home’s own reserves and East Herts Council.

Of the new homes, 70 are for affordable rent whilst 50 are for shared ownership offering local people the chance to get on the housing ladder. A further 14 homes built in the 1990s are also being refurbished.

The new Ridgeway replaces an estate that was in poor condition and did not provide the quality of homes for people that Network Homes requires. We are really pleased that through a close partnership with the local community, East Herts Council and Homes England, The Ridgeway will be a neighbourhood people will be proud to be a part of.

Helen Evans, Network Homes Chief Executive

Carol Cairns, Head of Home Ownership and Supply at Homes England commented: “It’s wonderful to see Ridgeway transformed into a neighbourhood that meets the changing housing needs of local people. Through our grant funding programmes, we’re committed to investing in quality, new affordable homes for shared ownership and rent, so we’re pleased our support to Network Homes has helped make this happen at Ridgeway.”

Peter Boylan, East Herts Council’s executive member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We worked closely with Network Homes on this transformational project with the same aim – to provide the best homes possible for people who would struggle to rent or buy in the private sector. We’re delighted with the result and we hope that residents will love living in their new modern and stylish homes.”

We made a special film about the regeneration project. Check it out below.