Orbit Housing Starts Tendering for St Anne's Phases
Construction on the remaining phases of the St Anne's Quarter housing scheme has yet to begin, with a project team now being appointed.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Construction
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Construction equipment has appeared on the undeveloped section of St Anne's Quarter, where Orbit Housing says it is being used to store equipment while building surveys are carried out on other buildings. Of the 437 homes originally planned after Orbit Homes bought the property in 2014, 247 have been completed.
Why it matters
The remaining phases have stalled for years, leaving a boarded-up section beside King Street unused while the wider scheme is incomplete. Appointing a project team to run the design and build tender is the step needed before any new homes can be delivered.
Of the 437 homes planned for the site, 247 have been completed, leaving 190 outstanding. The tendering process for the next phases is expected to take up to 24 months, and no construction start date has been confirmed.
The players
Orbit Housing
Orbit Housing is a housing association that is appointing a project team to lead the tendering process for the design and build contract on the remaining phases of St Anne's Quarter.
The details
Orbit Housing has painted over graffiti-covered hoardings and cleared overgrown shrubbery at the site since 2024. The section adjoining King Street has remained boarded up for more than a decade, and the equipment now visible there is being used for building surveys on existing structures.
Timeline
2014: Orbit Homes buys the property, earmarked for 437 new homes.
2024: Orbit Homes begins painting hoardings and clearing shrubbery at the site.
November 6, 2026: Construction equipment is spotted on the undeveloped section.
Up to 24 months: Expected duration of the tendering process for the design and build contract.
Roadmap
Large mixed-tenure schemes often stall between completed phases while developers procure new contractors for the next stages. At St Anne's Quarter, the gap between the 247 homes finished and the 437 originally planned follows that pattern, with the tender now the gating step before construction resumes.
Residents waiting for the remaining St Anne's Quarter homes face a timeline of up to two years before any construction begins on those phases. For people living near King Street, the boarded-up section and stored equipment will likely remain visible during that period.
The takeaway
A stalled phase of a housing scheme usually signals a procurement gap rather than a lack of intent, and the appointment of a project team is the first concrete step toward resolving it. Watch for the tender outcome to learn when building work will actually resume.
What happens next
The design and build tender for the remaining phases is expected to take up to 24 months, after which construction on the next phases may begin.
Further reading
For more on how housing schemes move from planning to build, see the Construction section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Eastern Daily Press.
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