Double vision!

Tue, May 15th 2007, 11:00

There’s double cause for celebration in Devonport.

In the week that developer Redrow is releasing the first homes for sale on the site of the old South Yard stores enclave, the scheme has just been short-listed for its second national award.

The Vision at Devonport development has been named as one of three frontrunners in the ‘Housing project of the year’ category of the British Homes Awards. The winner will be announced in London on May 31st.

This follows just three months after ‘Regenerating Devonport’ – incorporating the Vision scheme – scooped the Sustainable Communities Award in the RTPI Planning awards.

Redrow managing director Colin Smethurst says: “News of this latest award short-listing couldn’t have come at a more exciting time, just as we are getting ready to release the first of our new homes for sale.  We’ve got a community fun day this Saturday (May 12th) with children’s entertainers, refreshments and a live jazz band.

“The first of our private sale homes will be going on sale, including some one and two-bedroom apartments and some three and four-bedroom townhouses, and we’ll also have information on the range of affordable housing available. Over time the scheme will feature more than a hundred homes for rent and/or shared-ownership via two local Housing Associations; and 15% of the market price homes will be available via a special First-Time Buyers’ Initiative (FTBI), delivered by English Partnerships.”
 

The Mail on Sunday British Homes Awards are sponsored by the National House-Building Council (NHBC).  The ‘Housing project of the year’ award is open to schemes that have a planning consent but are no more than six months into construction.  Vision will be judged on criteria including housing design, sustainability, sensitivity to the local environment and community involvement.

Colin adds: “Vision’s shortlisting is testament to the hard work of everyone who has been involved in this project from day one, including English Partnerships who acquired the site from the MoD in 2005, Devonport Regeneration Community Partnership, who have spearheaded the transformation of the area, Matrix Partnership who prepared the initial Masterplan and our own architects Terence O’Rourke, who have fine-tuned this and worked on detailed plans.”

David Warburton of English Partnerships comments: “The release of the first homes for sale less than two years after we bought this site is quite an achievement.  We’ve had a terrific response from local people to the Vision scheme which will create new jobs, services and opportunities for home ownership in Devonport.”

Chris Byers of DRC Partnership adds: “The regeneration of Devonport takes a big step forward with the sale of the first homes in the heart of Devonport, in the Vision site.”

Vision at Devonport is transforming the former South Yard stores enclave, which once formed part of the thriving town centre until it was requisitioned by the MoD shortly after the Second World War. National regeneration agency English Partnerships has played a leading role in working with the local community to develop the Masterplan, achieve outline planning permission for the new neighbourhood and secure Redrow as its development partner.

As well as more than 460 new homes, the Vision scheme will also include a range of employment, retail and mixed use development, including a new police station, offices and a supermarket
 

Within the wider development, the existing Market Hall building and clocktower are being refurbished and will be brought back into public use, whilst the Midland Bank frontage that has survived will be incorporated into the scheme.  Development will be phased over six years.

To find out more, join Redrow for its sales launch and community fun day this Saturday, May 12th, from 12 noon to 4pm at the ‘Insight into Vision’ information centre, off Chapel Street, Devonport. Alternatively call 0845 676 0328 or log on to  www.vision.redrow.co.uk.

Further information on the British Homes Awards: www.britishhomesawards.com.