Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has appointed Duncan Sutherland to the board of Homes England, as the agency continues its key role in making the housing market work for everyone.

Since its launch in January, Homes England has adopted a stronger, more commercial approach to developing land in areas of high demand as the government’s housing accelerator.

Homes England’s 5-year strategic plan was also announced last month, outlining how expertise and significant government investment will drive forward key programmes such as Help to Buy.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

This is an important time for Homes England as it plays a key role in delivering the homes our communities need.

Having Duncan Sutherland on board will be a great addition to Homes England, bringing his experience in development and I wish him the very best of luck in his new role.

Homes England Chairman Sir Edward Lister said:

I’m delighted to welcome Duncan to our Board. He is arriving at an exciting time with a remit to help and advise the agency on the long-term housing challenges facing this country today.

His wealth of experience and housing expertise will enhance and influence the work of Homes England and help us meet the government’s ambition to accelerate housebuilding and deliver the 300,000 homes needed each year by the mid-2020s.

Duncan Sutherland said:

Housing is one of the biggest challenges we face in this country and I am looking forward to serving and contributing to the work of the Board in this innovative government agency.

About the new board member

Duncan Sutherland is a housing practitioner with over 35 years’ experience in property, housing, investment, regeneration and development with emphasis on public and private partnerships, involving government, local government, local communities and private investors.

Duncan is the Group Regeneration Director for Sigma Capital PLC and Chairman of Sigma Inpartnership Ltd and was also an HS2 board member between 2012 and 2018 with a focus on the benefits of regeneration and development.

Highways experts aiming to transform journeys on a vital part of the road network in North Tyneside had to go back to the classroom and delve into their history books as they started work on the multi-million pound scheme, it was revealed today.

Work on the £75m scheme to improve the A19 Coast Road roundabout is just months away from completion but starting work on site was far from simple as engineers had to check out the region’s war history.

As the region joins the nation in preparing to mark Armistice Day, Highways England has explained the meticulous work which had to be carried out before the project got off the ground.

Highways England’s project manager Julie Alexander said:

Safety is our number one priority and so before we start any project we have to carry out various vital types of work to ensure the ultimate improvement will be safe for everyone using it.

Our work on the A19 involved detailed investigation into the bomb activity on the site. This showed that 2 high explosive bombs fell in the middle of the site during a raid on 30 April 1942 when six were dropped by a single aircraft.

Thankfully no unexploded bombs remained on site so we could proceed. Armistice Day is a chance for us to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty and the impact it had on the people involved.

Over 70 years ago, long before the A19 Coast Road roundabout was built, the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, started a sustained aerial attack on British cities targeting docks, industrial premises, power stations and airfields.

Strategic bombing during World War II saw the extensive use of both high explosive and incendiary bombs, although anti-personnel bombs and parachute mines were also used.

Tyneside in the North East was subjected to observation flights by the Luftwaffe in 1939 as they built up evidence of potential targets.

During WWII there were 250 air raid alerts in the region, with the first bombs falling in July 1940. The heaviest raids took place in 1941 and 1942.

In Tynemouth where Highways England is building the North East’s first triple decker roundabout there were 31 air raids which destroyed 447 houses with a further 1,659 properties damaged.

Records show that 2 high explosive bombs fell on the central part of the A19 Coast Road site but both are recorded as having exploded.

The A19 Coast Road scheme will see an extra layer added to the junction and back in August 80,000 cubic metres of soil was finally removed, enough to fill 32 Olympic sized swimming pools.

There are just four months left on the £75m scheme with improvements to the 1,175 metres of cycleway and an extra 247 metres will be created, gantries to be installed and the roundabout completely resurfaced left to complete.

The new road which will reduce congestion, improve journey time reliability for the 35,400 vehicles expected to use it on average a day and expected to improve safety and reduce collisions.

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