Creating Safe, Healthy and Inclusive Communities
How we are addressing this issue:
Demographic patterns in the UK are shifting. We are seeing more single person households, young people are living with their families for longer, and the 'baby boomer' generation is reaching pensionable age. This in turn creates changing patterns of demand for housing, amenities and services.
Our operational flexibility means that we are adept at matching sites to what people want and require. This, for us, is a sustainable approach, enabling us to design not only for today, but for the future. Through working in partnership with local authorities and housing associations, we are skilled in developing mixed tenure housing which is recognised as a key element in creating sustainable communities. Providing greater choice allows people to live in areas they find desirable which in turn helps to reduce pockets of deprivation and promotes diversity.
We are an industry leader in providing affordable housing, and we offer a variety of tenures to suit all sections of the community including students, key workers and the elderly. For example, we launched our discount market sale units at Imperial Wharf during 2009/10 and despite the recession, local people queued to purchase them. We are also pioneering new design standards and have recently released two new types of home – our Urban House and our SAIL (Senior Active Independent Living) Initiative.
There are a number of other ways in which we can create safe, healthy and inclusive communities. This year, 29% of our completed homes were designed to meet the Lifetime Homes Standard – a design standard that makes a house more accessible and adaptable and allows it to be used throughout an occupant's life. Many of our schemes were also built to the principles of Secured by Design.
At a number of schemes we have created new parks and open spaces including Beaufort Park, The Hamptons, Imperial Wharf and Royal Arsenal Riverside. At Woodberry Down we will be replacing a five-a-side football pitch that was due to be removed as part of the masterplan, as it has been recognised that this is a key local amenity for young people and is well used by members of the local youth club.
The following table shows a selection of our customers, and how we are fulfilling their requirements through enhanced choice and superior design quality.
| STUDENT ACCOMMODATION Our Paragon development in Brentford provides 839 affordable, en-suite rooms for students, alongside 12,100m2 of academic facilities for Thames Valley University. Retail units have also been integrated, providing jobs and local facilities for residents. | FIRST TIME BUYER Beaufort Park in Barnet was one of the first sites in England to pilot the Government's First Time Buyer Initiative. This has allowed aspiring first time buyers, unable to afford a home outright, to purchase through an affordable mortgage, backed with Government finance. |
| YOUNG FAMILY Our newly released Urban Family House has been designed to address the urgent need for quality, high density, family-sized housing that has attractive, safe streetscape's and open space for families to share and enjoy. | PRIVATE BUYER All our developments cater for private buyers, who are encouraged to lead more sustainable lives through the provision of detailed information packs, and on-site initiatives such as car clubs. |
| KEY WORKER Several of our developments are built exclusively for key workers, ensuring that vitally skilled workers are able to afford the higher prices of the South East. Our Grove Vale scheme, for example, provides 132 good quality units, at a range of sizes and affordable prices, to be occupied by local doctors and nurses. | COMMERCIAL SPACE OPERATOR Commercial space is integral to our major, mixed-use developments, providing amenities and employment for local people. Where we pre-let our commercial units, we engage with occupiers before they are completed, enabling us to tailor the space to their needs. |
Our performance:
In 2010/11:
- All developments submitted for planning underwent consultation with the CDPA/ALO or have been committed to do so during detailed design.
- All homes submitted for planning (excluding student, extra care and hotel accommodation) were committed to applying the Lifetime Homes principles in their design.
- 29% of completed homes were designed to meet the Lifetime Homes Standard.
Our Vision2020 commitments and ambitions:
As part of delivering Vision2020 we have set specific objectives to help ensure that we deliver safe, healthy and inclusive communities.
Our commitments from May 2011:
- Consult with a Crime Prevention Design Advisor (CPDA) or Police Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) on all developments
- Apply the Lifetime Homes principles in the design of all new homes
Our ambitions from May 2012:
- Design and build new developments that can be shown to enhance the well-being of residents
- Ensure all homes meet the Lifetime Homes Standard
Case studies:
The Berkeley Urban Family House
The Berkeley Urban Family House has been designed with the 21st century in mind. It addresses the urgent need for quality, high-density housing that creates sustainable communities and encompasses attractive streets and open spaces. Architecturally, these resemble traditional terraced housing, however housing density is increased to around 104 dwellings per hectare (42 dwellings per acre), which is approximately double the density achievable with conventional terraced housing.
The standard Urban Family House comprises of three bedrooms and two reception rooms. Amenity space is not compromised, and exterior relaxation space is provided through a front utility and roof garden. Houses are naturally oriented towards the public street, creating a sense of community with good street surveillance and safety, so that they will be popular with families. The Urban Family House will be built using efficient modern methods of construction, and will reach Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3.
SAIL Initiative
The 'SAIL' (Senior Active Independent Living) design concept is based upon providing accommodation for older people which combines a highly desirable environment and easy access to care and amenities. We believe this will encourage residents to downsize from their existing home, enabling their previous property to be recycled back into the market place with a minimal amount of work and expenditure. Each 'SAIL' residence will have its own front door, security of tenure, a level of care according to individual requirements, and access to ancillary facilities such as cafes, restaurants, and shops. 'SAIL' will allow us to provide purpose built accommodation which will:
- Ensure people increasing in age will not face the burden of maintaining an oversized home, thereby avoiding isolation and fuel poverty
- Help elderly residents to enjoy better access to healthcare, amenities, and also peer support, provided intrinsically as part of the development
- Increase direct employment opportunities associated with the facility itself, providing jobs across the skills range and drawing staff from the local area
- Free up existing under-occupied residential homes
Paragon
The Paragon development has been recognised by prestigious housebuilding including the Best New Development in the Affordable Homes Sector at the Evening Standard New Homes Award. Berkeley acquired the site in 2003 and was granted planning permission in July 2004 for a mixed-use scheme comprising 839 student units, 221 apartments for rent and shared ownership, as well as retail space and academic facilities for the Thames Valley University (TVU).
It was necessary to constantly re-evaluate the needs of both the university and its students to ensure that the scheme delivered the student and key worker accommodation and academic facilities that TVU aspired to provide.
There is no distinction in quality between the affordable homes, student accommodation and academic facilities. Those students who study and work on the campus will also have the opportunity to buy one of the shared ownership apartments, or rent a key worker apartment, once they graduate – keeping their skills in the area and creating a truly sustainable community at the forefront of Brentford's regeneration.
Wellbeing at St George Wharf
In addition to 1,410 homes and local facilities such as bars and restaurants, St George Wharf, West London, provides a new NHS Medical Centre with room for 14 GPs, together with a small operating theatre and recovery room. The building also incorporates a sexual health clinic and is providing important services to the development and the neighbouring community. This demonstrates our highest commitment to quality design standards and good place making.
