Pennyfarthing Homes has recently welcomed students from Arnewood School to a new development site in New Milton, which it is constructing on behalf of New Forest District Council. The award-winning housebuilder secured the former Advertiser & Times premises in Compton Road in 2022, following the sale of the paper to Illiffe News & Media in October 2020.
Demonstrating its commitment to supporting the local community, Pennyfarthing Homes partnered with Arnewood School to offer students studying BTEC Construction, a hands-on learning experience at the site. Over the course of several weeks, small groups of students enjoyed a unique opportunity to tour the site, gaining firsthand experience of daily operations on an active construction site.
Pennyfarthing Homes’s Site Manager, Tim Cummings, hosted the students remarking: “I was truly impressed by the student’s curiosity, they asked some very technical questions about managing a project of this size. With many of them approaching important exams, I hope this experience has inspired some to consider a career in construction. It’s a field that is incredibly rewarding, varied and offers so much beyond the typical desk job.”
Pennyfarthing Homes was granted planning permission to convert the main office building into ten modern apartments with the demolition of the former print room and warehouse with two new blocks of apartments providing 13 further homes. Work began in Spring this year with completion targeted for Autumn 2025.
The visits were organised by the head of technology at Arnewood School, Mr Clarke who commented: “I am very grateful to Pennyfarthing Homes for welcoming our students onto its development with such good grace. The students returned to school full of excitement. They learned a great deal from Tim, from how a site is set up to the construction techniques commonly used in the industry today. His insights into the challenges of creating new homes in today’s market were invaluable.”
The development is a joint venture with the New Forest District Council with the scheme providing 100% of the units as both affordable homes for rent and emergency housing accommodation for families facing homelessness, addressing a pressing need for high-quality homes in the area.
One Arnewood student, Charlie Blackburn said: “I had such an amazing experience at Pennyfarthing’s New Milton development site. Construction is my favourite subject, and seeing how homes are built was inspiring. I am now seriously considering a future in construction or architecture.”
Aligned with Pennyfarthing’s commitment to sustainability, the new homes will include energy-efficient designs, EV charging points and facilities for greener living, such as cycle storage. This is a sustainable town centre location close to shops, bus stops and train station for ease of living.
