Schoolchildren at core of latest SEH French housing project

The SEH French team were delighted to invite a local primary school to join in the celebrations after handing over the keys to much-needed new affordable housing in Ipswich.

Our team completed the construction of the 15 new homes in Prince of Wales Drive this summer, comprising of modern houses and flats for Orwell Housing Association.

The site was formerly home to a Co-op store before a planning application was lodged in 2020 to meet the rising demand for affordable housing in the town.

The project was made all the more rewarding however thanks to the involvement of pupils from Halifax Primary School, situated directly opposite the site.

Children were invited to the handover ceremony and planted a tree to mark the occasion, before we teamed up with Orwell Housing to hand over a £500 donation towards new Lego kits for the school.

It is hoped their experience – and the new Lego – will help inspire the builders of the future.

Neil Pryke, Contracts Manager at SEH French, said: “This has been a very successful and rewarding project alongside Orwell Housing to deliver much-needed affordable homes on-time and on-budget.

“The homes have been completed to a great standard and we are proud to handover the keys and mark the occasion together with the children from Halifax. It’s a really nice touch to see off all our hard work.

“Throughout the construction phase in Prince of Wales Drive, the children showed a real interest in construction and were a delight to welcome for the handover ceremony.

“We hope the donation will not just give them an opportunity to have some fun, but explore the wonders of building too.

“A huge thanks as always go to our suppliers and subcontractors for their help in making this project such a success.”

Dawn Edwards, Head of Development for Orwell Housing Association, said: “This project is a great example of a brownfield site being brought back into use, while at the same time providing more affordable homes in the town to help meet the high level of housing need.

“We were also pleased to mark the completion with a celebration involving the local community. We believe that together, we are not just constructing buildings, but creating homes that complement the neighbourhood and community in which they stand.”

Mrs Anita Krishna, Headteacher at Halifax Primary School, said she is looking forward to seeing the children’s creations with the new Lego kits.

She added: “A big thanks to SEH French and Orwell Housing Association for inviting the children to join in the celebrations.

“They thoroughly enjoyed playing their part and we look forward to watching the tree blossom from across the road.

“We are very grateful to both SEH French and Orwell Housing for this generous donation.”

We have worked on numerous social and affordable housing projects across the town since our formation more than 40 years ago – and are currently building 30 new affordable flats on the former Hope Church site in Fore Hamlet.

We have also worked with several schools in the Ipswich area, including Copleston High School and Whitehouse Primary School.

To learn more about our projects, click here.