Westrock has appointed Henry Construction as main contractor for two of England’s first regional housing developments designed for rent build.
The developer and operator is one of the first build to rent businesses in Britain to focus on employment hubs right across the country. Its projects in Crawley and Stevenage are seeking to appeal to major employers around Gatwick airport in West Sussex such as Easyjet and pharmaceutical giants GSK, who are based near the Hertfordshire town.
Westrock will offer high spec apartments within buildings boasting a high level of customer service alongside a variety of communal facilities.
Henry is transforming Babcock House, Crawley into 185 homes with Stevenage Business Centre reconfigured to create 90 high quality flats.
The contractor has commenced work on both schemes which includes refurbishing the external facades and re-roofing, to creating high quality interiors which Westrock is aiming at tech-focused professionals in the surrounding areas.
In Crawley, Henry is adding a brand new insulated, rendered façade on top of the pre-existing brick exterior, enhancing the building’s energy efficiency. An attractive colour scheme with fitted aluminium fins replaces the drab exterior. While an outdoor terraced lounge area around the building will offer residents a place to host friends and meet each other.
Westrock has a pipeline of more than 1,400 homes for rent, with five schemes set to be completed this year.
Matt Willcock, head of development at Westrock, said:“A big part of what we do is redeveloping underused office space around the country and repositioning it as high quality homes. To do this, it’s important we work with the right contractors capable of reimagining pre-existing buildings – Henry’s work has been crucial in delivering our Crawley and Stevenage schemes.”
Sean McDonagh, director of Henry Construction, said:
“Both schemes that we’ve worked on have involved transforming tired buildings so they’re fit for residential, while still complimenting the buildings’ existing features. The work that’s been done has hopefully set a new standard for rental accommodation in both towns.”
