'It doesn't feel real' - first residents move onto new Arnold housing estate delayed after builder collapse

A large Nottinghamshire housing development that had been frozen in time after its builder went bust has finally welcomed its first delighted residents. The first nine new affordable homes at Rolleston Drive in Arnold have now been handed over to local residents, following lengthy delays caused by the administration of the contractor initially appointed to build the homes.

The 131-home Jigsaw Homes development sat empty for around a year, with workers deserting the fenced off site after Ilke Homes collapsed in June 2023. The modular nature of the properties and the near-completion of the 'Birch Fields' estate made finding a replacement contractor difficult, but Morro Partnerships were eventually appointed by Jigsaw in June this year to finish the much-needed houses.

Of the 131 new properties, 85 have been allocated for affordable rent in partnership with Gedling Borough Council, while the remaining 46 homes available through shared ownership are being made available in phases. Yasmin Aktar, whose family were made homeless in 2021 when her private rented landlord issued her with a Section 21 eviction notice, is one of the first people to get a new four-bedroom home on the estate.

Mrs Aktar, who is moving into the home with her husband and their daughters aged from three to 17, had faced a nervous wait after construction firm Ilke fell apart just weeks before she was due to get the keys in 2023. “I had just had my baby when we were told we needed to move out of our private rented home so it was a really difficult time," the mum said.

"Then we were allocated one of the homes here and two weeks before we were due to get the keys, the developers went into administration. We were devastated, and it was especially sad having to walk past the development and see the houses so close to being ready but nothing happening. It was a stressful time and unsettling for the children.

“We are so grateful to Gedling Borough Council for helping us find accommodation, as private renting was no longer an option. Getting the keys to this new home means everything. It doesn’t really seem real. We can now make this house a home and we are over the moon.”

Jigsaw Homes expects to finish remaining phases of the development by autumn 2025. "We are thrilled to finally see residents moving into their new homes," operations director Garnet Fazackerley said.

"This development has been an incredibly challenging one following the collapse of Ilke Homes, but we remained confident that it would be completed. By working in partnership with Morro, Gedling Borough Council and Homes England, we are delivering sustainable, affordable housing to help meet local housing need and creating an extension to this great community of Arnold.”

The new homes, which are being partially funded by Homes England, will also come with landscaped gardens, EV charging points and several with solar panels and air source heat pumps. Councillor John Clarke, leader of Gedling Borough Council, added: “We’re very pleased that families, who have been waiting for such a long time, are now moving into these much-needed affordable homes.

“This has been a very stressful time for families, and it has also impacted housing waiting lists in the borough, so we look forward to being able to reduce that list and get people, like Yasmin and her family, out of temporary accommodation.”