Barratt wins three regeneration awards

Leading urban regenerator Barratt has won three coveted Housing Design Awards, which aim to celebrate housing of great ambition and vision. Two major partnership projects in Rochdale, Lancashire and a third in London, which involved the careful restoration of a terrace of listed Georgian townhouses, won the accolades.

The Housing Design Awards are promoted by the Department for Communities and Local Government, English Partnerships, the National House Building Council, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Awards are made at two stages: for projects of high quality where the scheme has detailed planning permission but is not yet finished and occupied, and for completed schemes of outstanding merit. Judges consider a wide range of factors such as:

- relationship to surroundings and neighbourhood
- layout, grouping and landscaping
- attention to safety, security and accessibility
- external appearance and internal planning
- sustainability in construction

Dale Mill and Trafalgar Street in Rochdale were project winners while Tachbrook Triangle in Pimlico, London was a winner in the completed schemes category. A fourth Barratt regeneration scheme – City Point in Brighton – was also shortlisted.

Mark Clare, CEO of Barratt Developments, said: “We are committed to staying at the forefront of urban regeneration in this country and are pleased that the quality of these developments has been recognised.

“As the Government calls for more homes, more urban regeneration, more social housing and more innovation to create zero carbon homes we are making progress and delivering on all these fronts.

“Barratt is Britain’s leading urban regenerator and today over 80% of our homes are built on recycled brownfield land – that’s more than 12,000 a year. These schemes are bringing life back to run-down areas and creating homes where they are most needed, with benefits for local communities and the environment.”

The Rochdale schemes – which will provide a mix of new homes for sale, rent and shared ownership – are being developed by BASE, a joint venture between Barratt and Artisan, the innovative Manchester-based specialist developer.

BASE recently started building the first 25 homes at Trafalgar Street. Architects OMI developed the designs with input from local people and they are being built using materials from ‘green’ sources which will cut fuel bills. The scheme will eventually provide around 1,000 homes.

At Dale Mill, there will be 85 eco-friendly new homes, designed by Proctor & Matthews, with play spaces and pedestrian-friendly streets. BASE is working with Rochdale Development Agency and Rochdale Council to build both schemes, as part of the national Housing Market Renewal programme.

The Tachbrook Triangle development, designed by Assael Architecture, successfully blended three brand new apartment buildings with a terrace of Grade II listed houses, close to Victoria Station.