A family-owned property developer has expanded its residential portfolio by almost 50% after welcoming its last tenant to its new 32-apartment scheme in Carlisle.

Established in 2008, Harrison Homes develops and then manages rental properties across the city. It has grown its housing portfolio to 100 homes after using a £3.7m finance package from Lloyds to build two new apartment blocks, Elliot House and Ellwood House, in Carlisle.

Both of these blocks are now fully-let after construction on them completed back in November, demonstrating the demand for high-quality city-centre homes that Harrison Homes is addressing.

They are home to a wide range of tenants, from young professionals to retirees. This includes married couple Mr and Mrs Rogers, who “discovered the apartments when we visited our daughter who bought a property which is on the same development”. They’ve described how they “thoroughly enjoy” living in this new development, “not just for the apartment but the wonderful area we live in”.

Each block consists of 16 two-bedroom apartments, all of which have achieved an above average energy efficiency rating of at least EPC C to help residents reduce their energy bills. Each development also benefits from en-suite bathrooms, a bike store for residents and a maintained communal garden and children’s play area.

The development also supports the business’ wider growth ambitions, with plans to increase its portfolio of professionally managed housing to 170 homes over the next five years.

Harrison Homes sits within the wider, family-owned Christopher Harrison Group, founded in 1954 initially as an agricultural business. The group has since evolved to include a wide range of businesses such as construction firm HH Building, which manages the on-site build of Harrison Homes’ developments.

This follows the news that more than £3.5bn of new finance can be available to businesses across the North West in 2026, as part of Lloyds Banking Group’s plan to make more than £35bn of new finance available to companies operating and investing across the UK in 20261.

Chris Harrison, Founder and Director at Harrison Homes, said: “These new apartments are about giving young professionals, families and even those who are retired the opportunity to have somewhere they can let for the long-term. Some of the existing tenants in our portfolio have been with us for almost 20 years and we want to build similar relationships with our new residents.

“The speed at which we’ve been able to welcome people to these developments is testament to the quality of homes we wanted to deliver, and I’m grateful to the team at Lloyds for their support in helping us to achieve this.”

Sarah Ellison, Relationship Manager at Lloyds, added: “Harrison Homes has a strong track record for delivering quality homes and building communities that last. It was great to be able to support Chris and his team with their latest developments in Carlisle, and I look forward to seeing how the business continues to grow its portfolio in the coming years.”