New research from a leading construction professional body shows a large proportion of people would not buy a newly built property due to concerns over quality. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has published its ‘New Build Housing: How regulation can improve the consumer journey report. It explores public perceptions
Thousands of much needed homes for the West Midlands are being lost and delayed due to late plan-making, according to a new report from planning and development consultancy Lichfields. The ‘Perfect Storm’ Insight report considers what impacts the pace of change in the planning system has had on plan-making in
Energy and technology group Octopus Energy has joined forces with The Hill Group, the award-winning five-star housebuilder and Clarion Housing Group, the largest social landlord in the country, in a landmark strategic partnership to revolutionise sustainable living in the UK. Hill and Octopus Energy are developing the nation’s most extensive
Plans for 280 apartments to be built in the centre of Preston have been formally submitted to the City Council. The new building, consisting of 67 two-bedroom and 213 one-bedroom apartments, will replace some of the existing buildings within the development site at 127-131 Church Street. It will rise from
The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has shown that the property market could be in for a strong end to the year, as the number of homes completing in December has sat 6% higher than the average monthly total for the year over the last decade. However,
Relocating to the idyllic Devonshire countryside, to a small rural village surrounded by spectacular views is a dream for many. For John Greatwood and his family, it’s now reality. John and his wife Phillipa lived and worked in Carshalton in South London with their four-year-old twins, Finley and Imogen. When
Berkeley Group – one of the largest home builders in the UK – has reaffirmed its support for the newly updated Consumer Code for Home Builders (‘the Code’) as part of its continued focus on customer satisfaction. This ongoing commitment will see thousands of home buyers benefit from additional protection
Two-thirds (60%) of people make up their minds about whether they want to buy a house within one minute of seeing the garden. Planters, trees, driveways, front doors and bin storage all play a key role in the decision making, according to new data. The survey of 2,001 people carried
Development and regeneration company, Cityheart has acquired the 442-home Royal George Village site on Greek Street in Stockport, continuing its commitment to the transformation of Stockport town centre. Cityheart secured the site following the withdrawal of previous developer Investar Property Group, which had originally been appointed as the developer in
Brentwood Borough Council recently resolved to in principle grant planning permission for Dunton Hills Garden Village. The planning application, submitted by CEG in autumn 2021, provides for up to 3,700 new homes, three care homes, a village centre and two neighbourhood hubs which will provide easy access to shops, facilities
New research from a leading construction professional body shows a large proportion of people would not buy a newly built property due to concerns over quality. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has published its ‘New Build Housing: How regulation can improve the consumer journey report. It explores public perceptions of new build homes along with levels of awareness of the standards housebuilders must adhere to and where to turn for help when they’re not met. Its findings highlight how housebuilders need to do more to demonstrate quality to potential buyers when marketing new homes. It also includes results from a consumer survey of 2,000 UK adults* which found that 55% believe older homes are of better quality than newbuilds compared to 21% who think new builds are better. Almost a third of survey respondents (32%) chose to describe new build housing as ‘poor-quality’. The report is accompanied by a guide for anyone considering buying a new build home which informs them of the protections they have as well as what they can do to identify issues in their home. CIOB says in the midst of a housing crisis, where the choice of homes can be limited, its important consumers understand instances of poor-quality new builds are less common and have an awareness of the measures in place to hold housebuilders to account if they do experience problems. They also recommend anyone buying a new build property enlists the services of a professional snagging company to identify defects, many of which aren’t visible to the untrained eye, which can then be flagged to the developer for resolution. David Parry, CIOB’s parliamentary & public affairs officer and author of the report, says although minor snagging with new builds is commonplace, the overall quality of new builds has improved in recent years. “Our research shows the majority view of new build homes is that they’re of low quality and this puts many people off from considering buying one,” said Parry. “However, the reality is that quality has improved, and new builds are for example generally much more energy efficient than older homes as must adhere to more stringent regulations such as the Future Homes Standard, so have lots of positives. “Our report is designed to provide consumers with reassurance that the majority of housebuilders are signed up to a very clearly defined and high set of standards while, for those who do encounter issues, there is an ombudsman to intervene if a housebuilder fails to meet those standards and doesn’t resolve problems adequately.” CIOB’s survey also shows there is a lack of trust in housebuilders to build new homes to a high standard with around 33% of respondents indicating they have a ‘low level of trust’ and 63% saying they are very or somewhat concerned about potential issues with new build housing. CIOB says housebuilders have a leading role to play in rebuilding consumer confidence by better promoting the standards they are committed to and providing buyers with clear information on how they are regulated. The New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) is an independent body formed by Government in 2021 to ensure consistently high standards of quality and service are met by housebuilders. Currently registration with the NHQB is not mandatory, although around 80% are registered and the number is increasing all the time. CIOB is calling on Government to undertake a review of the NHQB to understand whether registration should now become mandatory for all housebuilders. In addition, the New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) can investigate situations where a customer is not satisfied with the resolution set out by their housebuilder on a matter of quality, information or customer service. Parry adds: “According to our survey only 13% of people would go to the New Homes Quality Board if they had a problem with a new build home. For those who have purchased one in the last year, that figure went up a fraction to 18% so clearly awareness of the body is very low despite most buyers being given information about them during the purchase process. A wider consumer awareness campaign would be a sensible way to increase awareness and give prospective buyers the confidence to consider a newly built property.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Thousands of much needed homes for the West Midlands are being lost and delayed due to late plan-making, according to a new report from planning and development consultancy Lichfields. The ‘Perfect Storm’ Insight report considers what impacts the pace of change in the planning system has had on plan-making in the West Midlands, highlighting the impact on the future delivery of homes across one of the biggest and most important urban areas in the country. Lifting the lid on the current situation, the report identifies a ‘perfect storm’ created by fundamental economic challenges and a plan-led system, which has been tampered with too much in the last three years and that now urgently needs certainty. The report finds that while some local planning authorities have met their needs, at least seven LPAs are identified as likely to fail to meet their housing needs in the five-year period 2020-2025. This reflects around 16,500 homes being lost over the same period and equates to the under-delivery of new homes for over 40,000 people in the West Midlands region alone. Lichfields says the impact of all the ‘lost’ housing delivery in the region is having a severe economic impact; they have calculated that in excess of £2.5bn capital investment has been lost over the 2020 to 2025 period, with 7,600 direct FTE and more than 8,000 indirect FTE jobs also lost annually on top of losses of £1.4bn GVA (gross value added) per annum. It also found that some 55,000 houses on draft-allocated housing land, and 730 ha of draft-allocated employment land, are being held up from delivery across the region as a result of delayed Local Plans, with the impact of this being that the delivery of homes for over 130,000 people and as high as 85,000 jobs have been delayed by years. (pictured) Myles Wild-Smith, associate director at Lichfields’ Birmingham office and co-author of the report, believes these figures make for stark reading and highlight the pressing need for much greater stability and confidence in the planning-making process. “Our study into the West Midlands housing sector offers a clear insight into the current market situation and state of plan-making,” he said. “The region is one of the most dynamic, best performing parts of the country with strong economic growth. It’s also an attractive place to live and work but it’s evident it’s also failing to realise its full potential, hampered by a sluggish approach to plan-making and consequently housing and employment land delivery. “It’s clear LPAs want certainty in the plan-making system, with many LPAs officially or unofficially delaying their Local Plan Reviews as a result of anticipated changes to national planning policy. In failing to properly plan through a plan-led system, the housing and employment sectors in certain areas are being detrimentally affected despite the high demand for quality housing and employment land in places where people want to live, build communities and work.” The report highlights missed opportunities for the West Midlands to deliver homes and jobs for local people in the face of delayed plan-making. Had more up-to-date plans been in place, it remains questionable whether the wider impact on housing delivery would have been so acute, added Myles Wild-Smith, given there would have been a greater supply to begin with, and the impact of delays or reduced delivery would have been less pronounced. The report echoes the critical need for certainty within the planning-making process, to enable LPAs to feel confident in investing significant time and resources in preparing local plans. “Certainty comes from investing in a planning system that grapples with long term growth, generating prosperity and meeting local housing and employment needs through a plan-led system,” Alex Davies, who co-authored the report, believes. “Until we have calmer seas, the plan-making world will continue to be choppy – and the West Midlands will be unable to reach its full economic and development potential. Indeed, for a region that prides itself on economic achievement and growth aspirations, a suite of up-to-date plans is now paramount.” The ‘Perfect Storm’ Insight report is based on analysis of 18 LPAs across the West Midlands who are, or at least should be, preparing plans. It found that only six draft plans were sufficiently advanced to contain draft housing and employment land allocations which are now delayed by at least two years and at least seven LPAs are identified as likely to fail to meet their housing needs in the five-year period 2020-2025. The report is available at https://lichfields.uk/content/insights/a-perfect-storm Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Energy and technology group Octopus Energy has joined forces with The Hill Group, the award-winning five-star housebuilder and Clarion Housing Group, the largest social landlord in the country, in a landmark strategic partnership to revolutionise sustainable living in the UK. Hill and Octopus Energy are developing the nation’s most extensive ‘Zero Bills’ housing development, comprising 89 meticulously designed homes at Hollymead Square in Newport, Essex. Residents will pay no energy bills for a minimum of five years, guaranteed. Of the 89 total, 64 will be sold on the open market. The remaining 25 will be made available for affordable rent and shared ownership by Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest social housing provider. These will be the first completed ‘Zero Bills’ homes under affordable rent. ‘Zero Bills’ is a world-first smart proposition that allows customers to move into homes which are fully kitted out with green energy technology and with no energy bills. Following the success of a ‘Zero Bills’ pilot in Essex, Octopus Energy has now accredited close to 1,000 homes through contracts with other prominent developers. Accredited plots span affordable, social, and private rent, as well as private and shared ownership. Situated in an idyllic village location, this groundbreaking project at Hollymead Square encompasses an attractive collection of two to five-bedroom houses and two-bedroom bungalows. Each property at Hollymead Square will be equipped with cutting-edge low-carbon technology, including solar panels, high-quality insulation, heat pumps, and home storage batteries. Designed to exceed the energy requirements for each property, this high level of home energy technology is seamlessly integrated and optimised by Octopus’ advanced tech platform, Kraken, to result in zero bills for homeowners. Octopus Energy’s ambitious goal of delivering 50,000 ‘Zero Bills’ homes across the UK and beyond by 2025 aligns with Hill’s strategic goal to deliver net-zero carbon homes by 2030. Hollymead Square is the first opportunity for the partners to work together to develop and provide net-zero housing and pioneer the way forward for a greener, more sustainable future. Construction of the new homes is underway, and the sales launch is due to take place on 20th January, with the first homes expected to complete in Spring 2024. Michael Cottrell, Zero Bills Homes Director at Octopus Energy, comments: “This partnership with The Hill Group is the first giant leap in transforming the way we live in our homes and consume energy. This will also mark both the biggest ‘Zero Bills’ development in the UK and the first with affordable rent options with Clarion. This partnership pioneers a future where sustainable living is the standard for everybody, no matter their situation.” Greg Hill, Deputy Chief Executive at The Hill Group, says, “We are excited to be working in partnership with Octopus Energy to provide our customers with the largest residential ‘Zero Bills’ development in the UK. The new homes at Hollymead Square in Newport will provide a blueprint for future sustainable housing and mark the start of our fruitful strategic partnership to deliver new homes complete with cutting-edge low-carbon technology that enable zero energy bills.” Richard Cook, Group Director of Development at Clarion Housing Group, says, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Octopus Energy and Hill Group on such an innovative project. It’s crucial that we cut emissions and cut bills for homes of all tenures. I am proud that Clarion residents will be among the first to benefit from a Zero Bills home. To find out more information about the ‘Zero Bills’ homes available at Hollymead Square, please contact Hill at 0808 168 7900 or visit www.hill.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Plans for 280 apartments to be built in the centre of Preston have been formally submitted to the City Council. The new building, consisting of 67 two-bedroom and 213 one-bedroom apartments, will replace some of the existing buildings within the development site at 127-131 Church Street. It will rise from four storeys to a part-19 storey building with 337 sq.m of ground floor commercial accommodation provided in addition to residential amenity areas, landscaped courtyard and cycle storage. The historic 131 Church Street will be retained and refurbished and the scheme will boast an outdoor seating area in the new central public realm core. If approved the 19,257 sq.m apartments scheme in Preston is expected to start on site during Autumn 2024. Luke Averill, Managing Director of developer TAG, said: “Preston City Centre continues to look forward and we are delighted to have submitted this planning application. “We believe our project will contribute significantly to the long-term success of Preston, which is outlined in the transformational 15-year vision ‘Preston’s City Investment Plan (2020 – 2035)’. I would like to thank the professional team that have got us to this stage and also say that we are actively seeking joint venture partners for this exciting scheme.” Consultants on the scheme include DAY Architectural Ltd, Zerum PDM, Scalia Planning, Futureserve, TPM Landscape Ltd, MB Heritage, ERAP, Adept Consulting Engineers (Manchester) Ltd, SK Transport Planning Ltd, Arcaero, GIA Surveyors, Noise Air, Jensen Hughes, TC Property and RAD. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The latest research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has shown that the property market could be in for a strong end to the year, as the number of homes completing in December has sat 6% higher than the average monthly total for the year over the last decade. However, don’t expect to receive a new home from Father Christmas, with sales completing on Christmas Day accounting for a minute proportion of market activity. GetAgent analysed the monthly number of properties sold in each month of the year over the last decade, as well as just how many homebuyers received a new home for Christmas last year due to completing on the 25th December. The research shows that while Christmas is often considered a traditionally quiet time of the year for the property market due to buyers and sellers putting their plans on hold until the new year, this certainly doesn’t mean there will be a dip in the number of transactions completing. In fact, over the last 10 years, an average of 83,616 property sales have completed on a monthly basis each and every month. However, when looking specifically at the month of December, this climbs to an average of 88.673 – a 6% increase. What’s more, in no less than 7 of the last 10 years, the number of transactions completing has actually increased between November and December. But while December remains a relatively busy time of the year for home sellers and buyers, the chances of finding a new home under the tree on Christmas Day are slim. GetAgent analysed sold price data from the Land Registry and found that, last year, just 6 sales completed between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. This equates to 0.001% of the 810,450 homes to have sold across England and Wales in 2022. Three of these sales completed on Christmas Eve, one Boxing Day and just two on Christmas Day itself. Co-founder and CEO of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, commented: “Christmas is often considered a bit of a lull period for the property market and this is true in some respects. There’s almost certainly a reduction in the number of motivated buyers and sellers pushing ahead to agree a sale, as plans are put on hold until after the festive break. At the same time, many progressing sales will see a slight delay due to the reduced office hours and staff numbers of estate agents, solicitors and other required parties. However, for those approaching the home selling and buying finish line, December is business as usual, and market activity has actually sat above the monthly average benchmark over the last decade during the month of December. Just don’t expect Santa to leave the keys to your new home under the tree, as sales completing between the 24th and 26th December account for an incredibly small proportion of the annual total.” Data tables Data tables and sources can be viewed online, here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Relocating to the idyllic Devonshire countryside, to a small rural village surrounded by spectacular views is a dream for many. For John Greatwood and his family, it’s now reality. John and his wife Phillipa lived and worked in Carshalton in South London with their four-year-old twins, Finley and Imogen. When it came to deciding where they wanted their children to go to school, the couple decided to pack up and move to the mid-Devon village of Hemyock. With a clear vision for the home and location they wanted to live in, as well as a firm deadline for when they needed to be moved by in the country, John and Phillipa searched Rightmove and found the Cavanna Homes Oak Mount development in Hemyock. “The area and its amenities were the biggest selling point for us, particularly as the local primary school is within walking distance of Oak Mount,” explained John. We also wanted to be within a 15-minute drive of Honiton as we have close friends who live there,” he added. Oak Mount is within the Blackdown Hills National Landscape with some of the homes benefiting from views over uninterrupted countryside. The three and four-bedroom family homes are within walking distance to Hemyock village with local amenities on the doorstep, including a shop, pub, post office, a doctors’ surgery and pharmacy. “We wanted a house with four bedrooms, a garage, space for a home office, and an open plan kitchen with dining space for family mealtimes”, said John. “We looked through the different house types on the Cavanna Homes website and found one that ticked all our boxes – the ‘Hockinston’!”. The couple then booked to visit the Oak Mount Marketing Suite to find out more about buying with Cavanna Homes and to explore the area. John said: “As the development was still in its early stages, not all the homes had been built yet, so the Sales Advisor arranged for us to see the same house type at one of their developments in Exeter whilst we were down visiting. “We fell in love with the Hockinston and set the wheels in motion to reserve our brand-new family home at Oak Mount.” As a Carpenter, John was able to easily visualise how their finished home would look, but to put Phillipa’s mind at ease, the couple booked a second visit to Oak Mount to look around the newly opened ‘Hockinston’ show home. “We’d never reserved a home off plan before, so I was keen to visit the show home to see the build quality and layout of the house, and we weren’t disappointed”, said Phillipa. She was also able to envisage where she could create an office to enable her to comfortably work from home as a Travel Consultant. The idea of a new-build property enticed John and Phillipa because there would be no need for renovations or costly improvement works. New-build homes also have excellent energy performance ratings, making them cheaper to run than older properties. Every home at Oak Mount is built with greener living in mind and is installed with high-quality wall and loft insulation, double glazing and an air source heat pump, which provides a low carbon heating alternative to gas. “The Sales and Site team were great at introducing us to our air source heat pump, showing and advising us how to use it most efficiently,” said John. The family collected the keys to their new home on 26th July and moved in two days later. Finley and Imogen started at the local primary school in September; “We can do the school run in under 5 minutes with no need for a car, which is fantastic. It’s been a big change for the twins, but they’ve really embraced it and are settling in well”, said Phillipa. “We love our new home and we’re living out our countryside dream”, added John. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Berkeley Group – one of the largest home builders in the UK – has reaffirmed its support for the newly updated Consumer Code for Home Builders (‘the Code’) as part of its continued focus on customer satisfaction. This ongoing commitment will see thousands of home buyers benefit from additional protection introduced following an independent review of the Code. The revised Code (fifth edition), effective from 1 January 2024, provides enhanced protection for consumers, with additional requirements and guidance for builders to help improve customer service. Berkeley Group has sought to operate in line with Code requirements since the Consumer Code for Home Builders was first launched in 2010, and latest research shows 97.5% of its customers would recommend Berkeley to a friend[1]. The Group is now preparing for the additional requirements contained in the updated Code. Rob Perrins, CEO of Berkeley Group, said: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, which is why we’ve always been supportive of the Consumer Code for Home Builders. The Code provides clear requirements, with supporting resources and training, which help our colleagues across the business maintain consistent, high quality customer service. “We particularly value the experienced, independent feedback provided by the Code through a combination of site audits, adjudicator decisions and industry-wide learning. The Consumer Code for Home Builders is ideally placed to provide us with credible, experienced, and sometimes challenging feedback, that supports our commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.” Noel Hunter, Code Chair, said: “We are delighted that Berkeley Group has confirmed its ongoing commitment to the Consumer Code for Home Builders. Our revised Code builds on over ten years of enhanced protection for new-build home buyers. It’s extremely encouraging to see the additional requirements and consumer protection we’ve built in, being welcomed by the industry.” A free ‘Transition Pack’ is available to help home builders comply with the revised Code and can be downloaded from the Code’s Home Builder Resources Page alongside other useful documents. 1Based on customer feedback surveys independently collected by In-house Research FY 2023 [1] Based on customer feedback surveys independently collected by In-house Research FY 2023 Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Two-thirds (60%) of people make up their minds about whether they want to buy a house within one minute of seeing the garden. Planters, trees, driveways, front doors and bin storage all play a key role in the decision making, according to new data. The survey of 2,001 people carried out by Marshalls, found that 68% of people would be put off wanting to buy or live in a property if there were big design flaws with the front garden that they didn’t like. Looking at the features that appeal to prospective buyers, those supporting biodiversity top the bill. Planters, hanging baskets and real grass areas (21%), as well as trees (20%), wildlife gardens (17%), raised bedding areas (15%) and bird baths (14%) were the top responses, followed by new driveways (14%), bin storage (13%) and privacy screening (12%). More than two-fifths (43%) said they care more about the appearance of the front of their home now – including their garden, driveway and features like the front door – than two years ago. People’s top reasons for caring about their home’s kerb appeal include improving its appearance from the outside (44%) and improving its value (29%). One in ten want to keep up with their neighbours, while others take inspiration from family and friends (20%), social media (15%) and magazines and TV shows (15%) on how to style the outside of their homes. In terms of wider housing developments, two-fifths of the research respondents said they’d be more likely to buy a newbuild home if it had well-landscaped communal areas. Safety was also critical, with lighting and CCTV making up the rest of the top three features sought after in shared spaces. Speaking about the findings, which are outlined in the Marshalls Improving the Landscape white paper, Ben Warren, Managing Director of Landscape Products at Marshalls, said: “In a world where image is so important, it’s no surprise to find that kerb appeal has a huge impact on whether someone buys a property – and these findings prove just how influential is, with the outside of a home impacting a buyer’s decision within a matter of seconds. “In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in social media trends focusing on the front of homes, with searches for ‘front garden’ on Pinterest increasing 35%. Driveways have also been in demand for some time, and with the rise in electric cars we suspect this will continue as people want to charge their vehicles safely and securely. “What’s important in the quest for ultimate kerb appeal is to balance practical spaces – like driveways and bin storage – with features like plants and trees, to help attract wildlife and make a space attractive. As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of sustainable building materials, at Marshalls we do more than just supply the right products, we also support with design and engineering expertise to help builders and developers enhance their offering to sell homes’ quicker, as well as supporting installers to create dream spaces for homeowners.” For more information about the expertise and support Marshalls are offering housebuilders visit marshalls.co.uk/builders/house-builders Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Development and regeneration company, Cityheart has acquired the 442-home Royal George Village site on Greek Street in Stockport, continuing its commitment to the transformation of Stockport town centre. Cityheart secured the site following the withdrawal of previous developer Investar Property Group, which had originally been appointed as the developer in 2022. Royal George Village is the largest purpose built apartment development in Stockport and has a GDV of £120m. Following the acquisition Cityheart made an immediate start on site with PP O’Connor commencing enabling works on the day the purchase completed. The scheme is part of the 130-acre regeneration district Town Centre West, which is being driven forward by Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC). The district will deliver 4,000 new homes, alongside local amenities, green spaces, new workspace and radical transport improvements, transforming Stockport into the most liveable and well-connected town in Greater Manchester. A £9m GMCA brownfield grant has been secured to support the delivery of the scheme which was previously part of the Stockport College campus. Cityheart is now procuring a contracting partner for the first phase of the scheme and will commence demolition and construction works in mid December, the full scheme is scheduled for completion in 2026. Jonny Wrigley group chief executive of Cityheart comments: “Royal George Village is one of Stockport’s most important residential opportunities and we are proud to be bringing these much-needed contemporary homes forward, further enhancing the quality of housing in Stockport town centre. Since topping out our 196 apartment scheme with our joint venture partner Rise Homes at Stockport Interchange in May, we have been keen to contribute further to the regeneration of Stockport and investing in Royal George Village provides the ideal opportunity to continue our relationship with the town. “We have made an immediate start on site and will implement a rapid build programme to deliver these high quality new homes at Royal George Village which will be a key contributor to Stockport’s ongoing renaissance.” Eamonn Boylan, interim chair of Stockport MDC said: “Delivering more, high quality homes for local people to live in the town centre is where true regeneration starts – we then start to see the positive impact on our high streets, in our retail centres, and we create a larger workforce which attracts businesses and drives forward the town’s prosperity. 2023 has seen significant progress to Stockport’s £1billion town centre regeneration, and, as we look ahead to what is set to be a monumental year with the completion of a number of our landmark developments, we look forward to working with the team at Cityheart to deliver these essential new homes for Stockport.” The regeneration of the three-acre site on Greek Street and six neighbouring buildings will see the former college campus redeveloped into a mixed-use scheme which includes 442 apartments both for sale and rent. The 115,000 sq ft Torkington Building will be converted into 122 apartments, while the 60,000 sq ft Lyme Centre would be demolished and replaced with a 16-storey apartment block comprising 258 units. The grade-two listed Greek Street Building – the former Metropolitan Girls’ School – will be converted into collaborative co-working space for local businesses. In addition, a new-build six-storey ‘Gateway’ building will be constructed providing 62 apartments at the corner of Greek Street and Royal George Street with off plan sales set to launch in Q2 2024. The Hexagon lecture hall, located close to the grade two-listed War Memorial Art Gallery, is set to be demolished and replaced with public realm and civic space. The 16,000 sq ft University Centre building will also be demolished to provide an internal, south-facing courtyard to create additional public open space and private gardens for residents. Original architects, DAY Architectural has been retained to work on the new scheme. Beyond Corporate has provided legal support during the acquisition. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Brentwood Borough Council recently resolved to in principle grant planning permission for Dunton Hills Garden Village. The planning application, submitted by CEG in autumn 2021, provides for up to 3,700 new homes, three care homes, a village centre and two neighbourhood hubs which will provide easy access to shops, facilities and services. There will also be three primary schools, a secondary school, children’s nurseries and a community sports hub, as well as a football and cricket pitches. About half of the site will be green and blue space, which will include trees, hedgerows, grassland and habitats, as well as a village green, community growing space, an orchard, ponds and new informal parkland. There will be a 20% net biodiversity gain when compared to the existing site. Designed to be a healthy place to live and work, it will include new walking and cycling routes, as well as formal sports facilities. A mobility hub will provide a forward-thinking approach to the sustainable travel proposals which include a community concierge, hire and repair of cycles, car sharing schemes, traditional bus and demand responsive transport infrastructure. An improved pedestrian/cycle link to West Horndon railway station is to be provided which will complement the Council’s aspirations to enhance the facilities available at the station. Charlotte Robinson, Head of Planning at CEG, said: “This decision follows many years of engagement with the Council, local stakeholders and residents. It is a locally designed and landscape led scheme which will provide a mix of new homes and employment space, set within extensive green spaces, with schools, healthcare facilities, shops and services all within walking distance. “As well as including extensive investment into transport infrastructure, alongside the education and healthcare provision, there will also be much-needed affordable housing designed to enable local people and young people stay in the area. “CEG would like to thank the officers of the Borough and County Councils for working in collaboration with its own consultant team to enable Dunton Hills to reach this position. The consultant team was co-ordinated by David Barnes of Star Planning and included by Broadway Malyan, SLR/Vectos, WSP, Lichfields, Brookbanks and Clyde & Co” The development will create 1,150 jobs and will support a further 700 plus jobs in the local area. There is expected to be some £71million of additional expenditure each year, supporting the local economy. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
