Acorn Homes secures £5.9m Paragon funding for Taunton Firepool development

By Bridging Loan Directory 15th June 2023

Acorn Homes has secured a £5.9 million finance facility from Paragon Bank’s Development Finance division to support the development of 44 new apartments in Taunton, Somerset.

The Firepool scheme is located on the Firepool Lock regeneration site and consists of 21 one-bed, 17 two-bed and six three-bed apartments.

Work has commenced on the development and the scheme is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

This is Paragon’s second funding deal with Acorn Homes. The deal was led by Relationship Director Adrian Reeves with support from Portfolio Manager Jess Pilkington.

Acorn Homes was founded by Mark Thomas in 2003 and specialises in residential schemes across the South West of England. The company is headquartered in Taunton.

Firepool Lock is a significant transformative multimillion-pound redevelopment programme for the riverside town centre area. For over a decade, the Firepool area had remained underutilised and vacant.

The regeneration plan includes the development of new residential properties, retail establishments, a cinema, and parking facilities.

The ambitious ‘Project Taunton,’ led by the Taunton Deane Council, emerged as one of the most extensive mixed-use masterplan regeneration schemes in the South West, generating over 1,800 job opportunities.

Acorn Homes founder Mark Thomas said:

“We are excited to bring this new development to market, helping to regenerate the Firepool area of central Taunton.

These apartments will provide fantastic homes and we can’t wait to complete the development.

Paragon has been a supportive and responsive funding partner. We were impressed with the team led by Adrian Reeves, Paragon understands what developers need, the challenges they face and the support they require.”

Adrian Reeves, Paragon Development Finance Relationship Director, said:

“Acorn Homes understands the South West market and has built a fantastic reputation for high-quality developments over the past 20 years.

This latest scheme will be an exciting addition and we are pleased to have been able to support Mark and his team.”