An affordable living specialist has been selected as a regional winner in the annual LABC Building Excellence Awards.
Solihull based Living Space was named Best Large Social Housing Development in the West of England for its scheme of 48 homes at Victoria Gardens, the former Victoria Carpets Sports Ground in Kidderminster.
The complex £8m brownfield regeneration scheme, located on Spennells Valley Road, delivered the homes to affordable housing provider Stonewater for shared ownership and social rent.
“Transforming this derelict former sports ground into a high-quality residential community was our most technically challenging project to date, so to have the scheme acknowledged by the LABC judges is particularly pleasing.
“We worked really hard and successfully with all stakeholders to fully mitigate a number of complexities faced from the geographical position of this site and the whole team is very proud of what has been delivered here.”
Paul Breen, Living Space Managing Director
Situated in the lowest point of Kidderminster, within a flood risk area, the whole developable area of the site was raised by a metre. An Alluvial Flow water course was installed below the ground level to avoid flooding, and a foul water pumping station installed close to the site entrance, with a main well depth of over five metres. A vast balancing pond feature and porous tarmac are other key features to aid site drainage.
In 2020, when the pandemic paused virtually all UK deveIopment, Living Space acted quickly to put in place robust Covid-19 protocols, enabling construction work to recommence safely.
And with the development neighbouring Kidderminster Golf Club, Living Space commissioned traditional hedge laying professionals to install a new 250 metre ‘Stafford style’ hawthorn hedge boundary to respect and reflect the history of the area.
“It’s fantastic for this development to have been recognised in the regional LABC Building Excellence Awards. These homes have provided much needed affordable housing options across Kidderminster as well as expanding Stonewater’s trusted relationship with Living Space.”
Matt Crucefix, Director of Development (West and South) at Stonewater
As well as Living Space and Stonewater, the project team for the scheme included BM3 Architecture Ltd. The local authority was North Worcestershire Building Control.
The Local Authority Building Control awards are the largest business to business awards in the building control sector in the UK. Selection as a regional winner automatically secures Living Space’s entry to the LABC Grand Finals Building Excellence Awards 2022 to be held in London on January 27.
