rics awards 2010 stonebridge regeneration study... · 3 stonebridge regeneration rics awards 2010...

RICS awards 2010 Stonebridge Regeneration

1

Stonebridge Regeneration RICS Awards 2010

This submission for the RICS 2010 Regeneration Award ismade by Hyde Housing Association and ShepheardEpstein Hunter Architects who believe that in theregeneration of the once notorious Stonebridge Estate,they have made an exceptional contribution to the lives ofthe residents of Stonebridge and to the urban fabric ofHarlesden, North London.

As with most major regeneration projects, Stonebridgehas taken many years to come to fruition. Many of theprojects shown here were completed since 2006 howeverwe have shown some of the earlier projects which are onlynow coming into context as the finishing touches are putto Stonebridge.

Stonebridge was recognised in the RICS 2007 Awards for“Community Benefit”. At that time the judgesrecommended that another submission should be madewhen the whole project was finished, which is the reasonfor this 2010 submission.

The project used local labour to help realise the resident’s vision and give them training for the future

2


Stonebridge in 1995

3


Stonebridge estate was built by Brent Council during the late 1960’s in thebrave new architectural style of the time as a wholesale replacement of the19

th. century suburban development that had formed there . The 1960’s

estate comprised 1775 new homes in concrete tower and medium riseblocks linked by high level walkways conceived as “streets in the sky” andwas seen optimistically as the way to provide high density, desirable homesfor those in housing need.

However after twenty five years Stonebridge had become one of the worstestates in the country with a notorious reputation for poverty, socialexclusion, violence and drug dealing. In fact Brent had to a large extent lostmanagement control and the estate had become a “no-go” area.

The “streets in the sky”

4


Stonebridge is located close to the North Circular Road in northwest London

The Stonebridgevision as voted

for by residentsin 1997 and now

close tocompletion

5


The 1988 Housing Act enabled the creation of fixed-life government-funded regeneration agencies called Housing Action Trusts (HATs) totackle the six worst estates in the country. Stonebridge Housing ActionTrust was established in 1994 and took transfer of the estate from BrentCouncil.

Stonebridge HAT initiated a comprehensive consultation exercise withresidents and a wide range of local stakeholders which culminated inplanning permission being granted in 1997 for the regenerationMasterplan which had been devised by Shepheard Epstein Hunter withTerence O’Rourke planning consultants.

Stonebridge HAT implemented the first two phases of the Masterplanbefore the government funding dried up. In 2004 Hyde HousingAssociation was selected by competitive tender as the HAT’sdevelopment partner and introduced sufficient private finance tocomplete the Masterplan. Hyde also set up a resident led housingassociation called Hillside Housing Trust to manage the estate. In 2005Stonebridge HAT was disbanded and its staff transferred to Hyde.Immediately prior to the HAT disbanding, tenants were balloted so thatthey could choose whether they wanted their new home to transfer toHillside Housing Trust or revert to Brent Council. Nearly 75% choseHillside; Brent appointed Hillside to manage the homes that transferredto Brent.

The layout of Stonebridge in 1995 Stonebridge as it now is with only three blocks remaining

6


Housing as part of Phase 3

7


Stonebridge is a partof Harlesden, it is acommunity in itself.Some 1775 flats andmaisonettes wereaccommodated on anisolated concreteestate that had nolinks with thesurrounding streets.

The aim was not somuch a regenerationof a wider communitybut one that wouldbring Stonebridgeback into the urbanfold, one that wouldmake Stonebridgepart of London again.The aim was toreinsert Stonebridgeinto the relativelysuccessful and normalsurrounding area.

The new Stonebridgedeliberately seeks tolink with and toemulate thesurrounding streets, amodernreinterpretation of theLondon urban streetform.

New terraced housing

8


The estate covers an area of19 hectares (46 acres) andhouses nearly 5,000 people.The population is ethnicallydiverse with a highproportion of young people.In 1995 unemployment wasover 20% and 56% ofhouseholds had a weeklyincome of less than £200. Aswell as completing thephysical regeneration of theestate, a key HAT/Hydeobjective has been to achievean improvement of theeconomic and social welfareof the estate’s population.

The Masterplan was based onthe phased demolition of allexisting estate buildings andtheir replacement with newlow/medium rise buildingswithin a traditional streetlayout. Existing residentswere required to be rehousedin new homes; the existingnursery, health centre,community hall and shopswere to be reprovided for in anew and expanded range offacilities across the estate;and new public open spacewith playgrounds was to beprovided.

Residents showing visitors around the new and old Stonebridge

9


Streets on the ground, not in the sky

10


There was always a significant risk that overthe twelve year period the project wouldnever be fully completed.

The HAT’s funding gap threatened projectfailure; Hyde struggled to bridge this gap byintroducing loan finance to the project at anacceptable level of risk, but eventually itsucceeded and its business plan remainsviable.

The logistics of carrying out such a hugeconstruction and demolition programme inthe middle of a fully occupied estate safelyand without log-jams has tested the projectmanagement skills of the Development teamand its consultants.

Managing the phased decanting of tenantsfrom the old blocks to their new homes andensuring that the right tenant choices andspecial needs adaptations were done in theright homes was made even more difficult bythe fact that over the three year period frominitial consultation to moving, householdcompositions changed due to births, deaths,marriages etc. therefore changing the size ofhome the household needed to be given.

11


Planning what size and type of homes to build in eachphase (especially the last one) to ensure that allhouseholds in the next phase of blocks to be demolishedcould be rehoused was made even harder by theobjective of moving residents only once. In the event,the number of residents moved more than once isprobably in single figures and only fifteen spare homesremain to be let or sold.

However well the physical regeneration wasaccomplished it would ultimately mean nothing if theeconomic and social welfare of those living on the estatecould not be improved at the same time. Driving upaspiration, creating mentors, bringing in external fundingfor the education, training and employment programmesand following through the outcome of theseprogrammes to prevent back-sliding required constanteffort from the ESR Team. This effort continues todayand its funding is assured into the future by the rentreceived from the PCT Health Centre.

Keeping the faith and confidence of the local communitythat the project would complete has drawn heavily onthe communication and consultation skills of both staffand Board members. It would be fair to say that attimes this was threatened by the anxieties of thosewhose rehousing was latest on the programme – somehouseholds have had to wait twelve years living in verylow quality accommodation for a new modern home.

12


The original task taken on by the HAT and Hyde and Hillside is nowsubstantially complete and the estate has been transformed beyondrecognition. This is largely due to the faith and sustained effort of allstakeholders. Many of the original resident community leaders, many ofthe original staff and many of the original consultants are still working onthe project – all now seeing the results of their efforts.

On the physical side, only five households remain to be decanted intotheir new homes, only two tower blocks remain to be demolished andonly the last park remains to be built. Over twelve years the followinghas been achieved:

· The construction of:

- 1156 new homes for affordable rent- 46 shared ownership flats- 34 private sale flats- PCT Health Centre- Chemist and five other small shops/fast food outlets- Tesco Express- Nursery- Community Centre- Café- Sports and Youth facility Centre- Office for Hillside Housing Trust- Three new parks with playgrounds, relaxation areas and a

canalside walk- Network of new roads with car parking bays and trees

· The demolition of eleven old high and medium rise apartmentblocks, nursery, health centre, shops, roads, garages, carparks andcommunity hall.

· The removal of asbestos from old buildings and contaminated soilfrom the land.

· The isolating and impenetrable boundaries of the old estate havebeen dissolved and the new open network of streets integratesStonebridge with its surrounding neighbourhoods.

On the human side there has been a steady and significant improvementin the social and economic welfare of residents. The table below showsthat the levels of poverty, unemployment, crime and the fear of crimehave been significantly reduced; educational achievement has risen andbroadened measurably; and residents have taken ownership of their localcommunity and created a vibrant area which is now a popular anddesirable place to live and work.

These figures result from the work of the dedicated Economic and SocialRegeneration team in creating aspiration and opportunity for theresidents.

Unemployment Over 20% 12%

Qualifications 48% 67%

Dislike living on Stonebridge 33% 13%

Fear of crime on Stonebridge Over 50% 37% 22%

Vandalism and graffiti 30% 13%

13


Being the third time this landhas been used for housing andlight industry it was a typicalbrownfield site andcontamination was found in theground as well as asbestos inmost of the demolishedbuildings

Demolishing the old buildings

14


At the heart of the estate the new shops and Hub building completed in2009 provide:· PCT Health Centre· Chemist and five other small shops/fast food outlets· Tesco Express· Nursery· Community Centre· Café· Office for Hillside Housing Trust

The new Stonebridge Hub

15


The streets on the ground are used far more that the old “streets in the sky”

16


The Fawood Children’s Centre

17


Brent’s special needs nursery that existed on the estate occupied landthat would be completely reconfigured in the Masterplan. A newinnovative building was provided elsewhere on the estate and given toBrent at no cost. The nursery is called The Fawood Children’s Centre and

the building itself was the runner up in the prestigious RIBA StirlingPrize for architecture. The nursery is very popular with children,parent’s and teachers alike.

18


Located in the lower two floors of anow demolished old block theStonebridge Sheltered Housingscheme was badly out of date anddid not provide standards ofaccommodation that are consideredacceptable today. So a new fully-up-to date home was designed bythe HAT and built in partnershipwith a specialist HousingAssociation on Brent land just onthe edge of the Stonebridge estate.This project was intentionallycarried out in an early phase tobenefit the elderly people living inthe old block, one of whom is now103 years old and living happily inthe new home.

Newcroft - the elders block

19


Keeping fit in the Hub

20


In 1995 there was a very rundown artificial football pitch inthe corner of an equally rundown park. It was notmanaged and was wide openfor anyone to use and was aserious risk in terms of safety,vandalism and antisocialbehaviour. It has beenreplaced by a comprehensivenew sports centre called ThePavilion which has changingrooms, a café, stores, meetingrooms and a suite of officesused for youth training work aswell as state of the art floodlitartificial pitches. It is allcontained within a fencedcompound which can only beaccessed via the main entranceand reception desk wherebookings, access andmaintenance are managed.The park has been refurbishedalong with the grass footballpitch that occupies most of it;this has been transferred toBrent as part of the new publicOpen Space.

The new Pavilion sports centre with Stonebridge FC (inset)

21


The after school support club visit Brunel University

22


23


Consultation andparticipation by localresidents, schools,shopkeepers, communityservice providers, churches,and Brent council, has beena hallmark of theStonebridge regenerationproject from day one whenresidents voted for the HATand chose their preferredMasterplan option.

Every residential blockcreated its own TenantAssociation and all the TAscame together in anumbrella group calledStonebridge TenantsAdvancement Committee.A resident led Board wasset up by the HAT and hasbeen continued by HillsideHousing Trust to thepresent day.

In each phase the groups ofresidents being rehousedwere involved in the designof their new homes. Theyalso made their individualchoices of fittings andfinishes and any specialneeds were individuallycatered for. The Board setup sub-committees forconsultation on the non-housing projects(Community Centre, OpenSpaces, Sports Centre,Shops and Nursery).

A large and highly active Elders Forum has developed and now brings in elders from outside the local community.An after school club, youth forum, playgroups, adult education, sports clubs, IT, video and music workshops,danceclubs are all typical of the busy daily community life that operates from the Hub and the Pavilion buildings. Acolourful and noisy street Carnival parades through the streets every year bringing in floats and performers fromthe surrounding communities.

24


Stonebridge is widely acknowledged as a highlysuccessful and exemplary inner city estateregeneration project. It has informed many of theregeneration projects in Brent and other surroundingboroughs such as Ealing who have sent groups ofresidents, councillors and consultants to viewStonebridge’s transformation. Brent is currentlyrefurbishing its adjoining interwar council-houseestate; it is putting together a scheme to rebuild thetwo local primary schools and adventure centre aswell as as a scheme to regenerate the nearby SouthActon estate.

However Stonebridge’s influence goes far wider;groups have visited from as far away as Australiaand Canada as well as other UK cities such as Bristol.

Most significantly of all however is that Stonebridgeis changing from a mono-tenure council estate to amixed-tenure neighbourhood that includes privatehomes for sale as well as rent and shared ownershiphomes for sale. Hyde, with its housebuilder partners,has created the successful beginnings of a homeownership market on the estate. The fact that alleighty of the first homes built for sale have soldquite quickly, even in the middle of a recession isprobably the best proof of the spin-off effect of theoriginal regeneration project. It is an establishedfact that mixed tenure provides a stronger and morediverse local economy – indeed Tesco Express wasonly willing to open a store on the estate on thatbasis.

25


Hyde understands that to succeedestate regeneration must producesustainable results. This is beingachieved by the following means:

· delivering a high standard ofhousing managementservices and propertymaintenance by HillsideHousing Trust

· the continuing engagementof the resident led Board.

· a continuing programme ofcommunity driven Economicand Social Regenerationactivities supported by therent received form the PCTHealth Centre

· An ongoing housingdevelopment programme onthe estate’s “spare land”which will see the creationof up to five hundredadditional homes, mostly forsale or rent on the privatemarket.

26


Shepheard Epstein HunterArchitecture Planning Landscape

The new Stonebridge under construction with the old towers (inset)

rics awards 2010 stonebridge regeneration study... · 3 stonebridge regeneration rics awards 2010...

Documents