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Top 60: Affordable housing development of the year
Inside Housing is showcasing the best 60 developments of the last year. This year, our list is split into 10 categories of excellence which we will reveal over the next few weeks. Here, we introduce you to the year’s stand-out affordable housing schemes
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A word from our sponsor
The National House Building Council (NHBC) views the affordable housing sector as an important deliverer of new homes - both for market and social use.
That’s why we are delighted to sponsor the affordable housing development of the year category of the Top 60, which showcases some of the most innovative and interesting projects in the UK.
As we move through a period of unparalleled change to the affordable housing sector, many housing associations are committing to plans to develop new homes for a mix of tenures - for market sale, private rental, shared ownership and social rent - as they seek to generate sufficient surplus to mitigate the loss of rental income and the continued decline in government grant funding. This all means that management of risk is increasingly important for landlords, changing the way they plan and govern their businesses over the coming years.
NHBC works in partnership with housing associations, not only providing new home warranties to cover any structural defects, but also helping to minimise risks by setting standards for housebuilding, assessing land quality on brownfield sites, evaluating designs and plans, and inspecting new homes throughout their construction to ensure homes are built to the best possible quality and that development risk is minimised.
We look forward to working with housing associations as they continue to make an important contribution in helping the country deliver an increase in the number of new, quality homes that it desperately needs.
Mike Quinton, chief executive, NHBC
The judges
- Brian Ham, executive director of enterprise and development, Home Group
- David Jubb, director of Greater London residential development, JLL
- Mehban Chowdery, regional director, National House Building Council
- Isabella Connell, deputy head of better rented and leasehold sector, Department for Communities and Local Government
- Luke Cross, editor, Social Housing
The judges will choose an overall winner in this category on Friday 14 October.
Kingsmills and Rivulet Road (see main picture)
Number of homes in development: 147
Cost: £16.9m
The scheme: Every single one of the 147 properties in 9,500-home Wales & West Housing’s Kingsmills and Rivulet Road developments in Wrexham, Wales, is available for social rent.
Consisting of 46 new houses, two bungalows and 44 apartments at Kingsmills Road, and 24 houses and 31 apartments - including a supported housing scheme - at nearby Rivulet Road, the £16.9m development has transformed two brownfield sites.
Working with contractor Anwyl Construction, Wales & West replaced outdated local facilities by building an on-site community resource centre and medical centre.
Before being redeveloped, the Rivulet Road site had been dormant for several years, while Kingsmills Road was home to an outdated block of flats.
Bow River Village
Number of homes: 741
Cost: £160m
The scheme: Overcoming the challenges of building on the site of industrial and warehouse buildings with contaminated land and multiple owners, 28,000-home Southern Housing Group is on track to deliver more than 700 homes and 100,000 sq ft of commercial space at Bow River Village in Bromley-by-Bow, London.
Located in the Three Mills Conservation Area next to the River Lea, the development aims to create a peaceful new neighbourhood in a previously isolated part of the capital.
The first £61m phase of 219 homes - 48 for private rent, 49 for affordable rent, 86 for shared ownership and 36 for market sale - is due to be completed this year.
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Friese Greene House
Number of homes: 35
Cost: £11.5m
The scheme: This 100% affordable rent scheme is being developed by 58,000-home Affinity Sutton on the site of Granada Cinema, a 1930s art deco building in Hove, East Sussex.
The much-loved landmark had been used as a bingo hall before falling into disrepair, but its popularity meant the new design by Brighton-based architects Conran & Partners needed to create a new focal point appreciated by local residents.
The development, named after Hove-based photographer and inventor William Friese Greene, includes 35 one, two and three-bed apartments, a new GP surgery, pharmacy and commercial space.
Lime Walk
Number of homes: 111
Cost: £24.1m
The scheme: The aim of 19,000-home Network Housing Group’s Lime Walk development, built on a former car park in Wembley, north London, is simple: to provide affordable housing for local people.
There are 111 homes in the development: two four-bed houses and 109 apartments spread between four buildings, each named after a famous footballer in homage to the area’s sporting heritage.
Thirty-four of the apartments are for sale through shared equity, 28 are for affordable rent, 25 for sale through shared ownership and 22 for private sale. The houses are both for affordable rent.
Oaklands
Number of homes: 47
Cost: £5.7m
The scheme: The streets surrounding Hillcrest Housing Association’s Oaklands development have views of Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle, while from within the scheme itself, it is possible to see the Pentland Hills.
This location, firmly planted within the Scottish capital’s townscape and established community, is what attracted the 5,500-home housing association to the site in the Broomhouse area of the city.
Residents living in Oaklands’ 47 homes - 14 of which are for social rent, and 33 for mid-market rent - are also close to open space, schools, shops, a community café and a church.
John Galt
Number of homes: 80
Cost: £10.3m
The scheme: John Galt in Irvine is North Ayrshire Council’s largest housing development to date. The 80-home project demonstrates the local authority’s commitment to providing affordable housing for local people.
All of the properties, a mix of one, two, three and four-bed homes, are available for social rent and are allocated through the North Ayrshire Common Allocation Policy. Six are accessible by wheelchair and 10 are bungalows, which incorporate features to promote independent living. All two-storey properties have capacity for the future installation of stair lifts.
Hitchin Square
Number of homes: 6
Cost: £1.4m
The scheme: Previously a garage site that attracted anti-social behaviour, Hitchin Square in Tower Hamlets, London, is now the location of six two and three-storey family homes, all of which are available for affordable rent.
The properties have been allocated to existing Circle Housing Old Ford tenants who previously lived in overcrowded conditions.
Part of 60,000-home Circle Housing, the association worked with architecture firm PRP on the scheme, with one of the six homes designed to meet the specific accessibility needs of the family due to move in.
The development of Hitchin Square, with its extensive landscaping, has benefited the wider area by making the site more accessible and deterring the anti-social behaviour it has attracted in the past.
Cannon Road
Number of homes: 222
Cost: £47m
The scheme: Part of the wider regeneration of north Tottenham, London, which centres around Tottenham Hotspur FC’s redevelopment of White Hart Lane, Cannon Road is being delivered by 8,000-home Newlon Housing Trust, in partnership with the football club, Galliford Try and KSS.
The scheme is being built on the site of a derelict former factory and includes a new 420-pupil primary school and 222 homes. Thirty of the properties will be available for social rent and 92 for intermediate rent, which will provide below-market accommodation for key workers. A 22-storey tower will house 100 properties, all for shared ownership.
