Berkeley Group announces it has won a 2008 BURA Award for Best Practice in Regeneration for the first phase of its 76-acre mixed use redevelopment at Royal Arsenal, south east London. The award will be presented at a ceremony on 25th November in Leeds.
It is the 16th year that BURA (the British Urban Regeneration Association) has held the competition. Berkeley entered BURA's Best Practice category for phase 1 at Royal Arsenal: it comprises 1,250 new homes and the comprehensive refurbishment of the historical former Ministry of Defence complex; the project also provides a gym, museum, café and a delicatessen.
Berkeley's winning entry is among just four other winning projects. In 2004, Berkeley Homes won the same award from BURA for its initiatives and delivery at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth.
Tony Pidgley, Managing Director of Berkeley Group commented "We are proud to be honoured by this Best Practice award from BURA for our work at Royal Arsenal. For more than a decade as we have worked on this site, we have shared BURA's goal with huge enthusiasm and like BURA, we want to see life brought back to towns throughout Britain, spurring inward investment and higher standards of living. We are delighted to receive this award for Royal Arsenal, where we have made every effort to enhance the site's substantial heritage and provide the amenities, transport links and economic foundation for an altogether bright future."
This first phase of Berkeley's regeneration of Royal Arsenal was selected for an award by BURA for its growing international reputation for best practice.
"The result has been an imaginative renovation of the former MoD site, with the sympathetic addition of new buildings in the midst of many listed buildings," says BURA's expert judging panel reported. "Not only has the scheme opened-up Woolwich's Thames waterside to public use but it has fostered solid community involvement from the start, with a wide mix of tenure, including 30% affordable homes. The beneficial impact on the town centre has been significant, attracting much needed investment, improving transport links and enabling regeneration of the rest of Woolwich town centre to go forward."
Tony Pidgley adds: "Our regeneration of the historical site has given Royal Arsenal a real sense of place, something to which we and our customers aspire. This is one of the most significant groupings of Grade I and Grade II listed buildings for residential use, which we have restored working closely with English Heritage. Royal Arsenal is now a vibrant new community which already has around 3,000 residents and it will only grow as a destination as we continue the regeneration of the area."