Vistry has agreed the forward sale of 141 affordable homes at its Fordham development in West Sussex to Abri through their joint venture Ford North for an undisclosed price.
The homes will be delivered as part of Phase 1 of the scheme and the forward sale enables the commencement of housing delivery at Fordham. Ford North is leading the delivery of the wider scheme, with Abri also acting as the end purchaser for the affordable homes within the first phase.
The mixed-use Fordham development is being built on the former Ford Airfield site and will provide around 1,500 new homes, 960 of which are being delivered through the Vistry and Abri joint venture.
Planning approval has already been secured from Arun District Council for the initial phases of development, including nearly 700 homes and supporting infrastructure.
Alex Jordan, managing director for Vistry South East, said: “This forward sale represents a major milestone for Fordham and, importantly, enables us to begin delivering new homes on site. Our partnership with Abri is central to the success of this scheme, and this agreement highlights how our joint venture model can accelerate delivery while maintaining a strong focus on quality and place-making. Fordham is a transformational development that will provide not just new homes, but the infrastructure and community facilities needed to support long-term, sustainable growth.”
Sally Ingham, director of development at Abri, added: “This agreement secures a significant number of affordable homes for Abri customers and marks the next stage of delivery at Fordham, transforming a long-held vision into a new community with homes, green spaces, transport links and facilities for local people. The inclusion of additional homes that we plan to develop with support from Homes England grant funding will help maximise the affordable housing provision delivered through the development.
“Our long-standing partnership with Vistry demonstrates what can be achieved when organisations work together. Fordham is a great example of how collaborative working can unlock large scale developments, helping us deliver the homes and communities needed while supporting Abri’s ambition to build 20,000 new homes by 2036.”
