The first newsletter by the Development Management Team has been produced for Westbury and is available to read here.
The Development Management Team has been produced newsletter #1 for Westbury and you can read it here.
Click on the links below for more information on:
- Reminder of the Cabinet Decision
- What's happening next
- Coming up in May/June
- Meet the Tibbalds Campbell Reith Team
- How we want to work with you
- St Oswald's Site Visit
- Flat Size Comparison
- Our commitment to you
- Estimated project timeline
Reminder of the Cabinet Decision
Faced with a lack of money for refurbishment and a serious shortage of genuinely affordable homes, in Nov 2015 Lambeth’s cabinet decided to go ahead with the partial redevelopment of Westbury Estate. You will have received a letter which confirms that this decision agrees the demolition of the 82 low rise homes with Amesbury & Durrington towers retained.
We are now beginning the design development stage of the regeneration. In order to work towards a design which you, the residents, are happy with we will be doing all we can to ensure that you are:
informed about what is happening, involved in the process, so that you can; influence what happens next.
Notices from Lambeth: An Initial Demolition Notice
The residents of the 82 homes directly affected by the redevelopment will receive an initial demolition notice and detailed information on what this will mean for them. Sending this is a legal requirement but doesn’t mean works are about start. Demolition is unlikely to begin before 2019.
Events: Housing Design Principles for Lambeth 08/06/16
This exhibition will set out the housing design standards that will be met by every new home that we build. We would like to invite you to come along and find out more and meet the team from Tibbalds Campbell Reith Joint Venture.
RSVP here
Things you will see: site surveys
These surveys will look at things like the condition of the ground, the layout of the land and existing features on the estate. This may involve diggers and other machinery but does not mean works are starting.
Westbury Activities: Design Workshop #1 29/06/16
There will be regular workshops to involve you in the design development stage. In the first meeting we will discuss your priorities moving forward, as well as how you can influence the planning application and any concerns you may have.
RSVP here
Meet the Tibbalds Campbell Reith Team
Tibbalds CampbellReith JV, working with Development Managers CPC, are really pleased to have been selected to work with you on developing proposals for more and better homes on Westbury Estate. We are a collection of generally small companies, which means you will get to see us on a regular basis. We are all really looking forward to meeting residents of the estate and the surrounding area, getting to know it from your point of view, understanding your priorities and working together to make this project the best that it can be.
The team includes all of the specialists that will be needed to bring this project forward through the design and planning stages and onto delivery. You will meet many of them regularly and some will be working behind the scenes.
Key members of the team are:
Lead Consultant: Tibbalds
Hilary Satchwell: Hilary will be overseeing the Westbury Estate project. She has extensive experience in estate regeneration and is really excited about the potential for this project.
Emily Nielsen: Emily works in the Tibbalds team ensuring that the design team works well together and responds to feedback from the engagement with residents and stakeholders as well as making sure the scheme is deliverable and meets the right standards.
Consultation Specialist: make:good
Catherine Greig: Catherine and the make:good team will produce monthly newsletters, attend resident meetings and host additional events to get to know your priorities and ensure your feedback has as much influence as possible. Please get in touch: 0203 7357 629
Architects: Metropolitan Workshop
Jonny McKenna: Jonny will be leading the architecture and urban design team for the project. He is keen to continue working with existing Westbury residents and looks forward to creating a neighbourhood they are proud to call home.
Architects: Maccreanor Lavington
Prisca Thielmann: Prisca, will be leading on the project for Maccreanor Lavington. She is looking forward to working in collaboration with all stakeholders and designing high quality homes in Lambeth.
Development Manager: CPC/KSA
Kim Sangster: Kim is the Project Director and has over 40 years experience in the construction industry. His wealth of regeneration experience coupled with a strong reputation will ensure this project delivers high quality new homes.
Ned Baker: Ned will be joining the team as a development manager. This means he will be helping make sure the project is deliverable and takes on board all of the issues and questions raised.
Landscape Architects: Camlins
Paul Shirley-Smith: Paul is a landscape architect and has delivered many high-quality projects. He is particularly interested in looking at the streets and public realm on this estate, as well as making sure all residents have some good private outdoor space too.
Structural Engineers: CampbellReith
Michael Lawson: Michael will make sure that the scheme works in terms of structure, parking and roads. This includes carrying out surveys of the site and ensuring the buildings are safe and practical.
Mechanical & Electrical Engineers: TGA
Alex Maguire: Alex will be responsible for making sure all electrical and mechanical services are properly considered for your new homes. Alex is great at thinking outside the box and also at explaining how these complex systems work!
make:good, who worked with you last year during the feasibility stage, will be leading on resident involvement and consultation. With the help of the resident engagement panel we are planning meetings and activities in order to collect more detailed information which will shape the design of the new homes.
We have included an overview to explain the process and activities along with this newsletter and we will be updating the timetable on the back page when exact dates and venues are confirmed. We know that understanding the timeframe for the project is very important so if you have any questions or would like someone to go through it with you please get in touch.
Each newsletter will include this timeline with an indication of where we are in the process.
On 17th May some Westbury residents went on a site visit to St Oswalds- recently completed new homes in Lambeth. This development is not by any of the Development Management Team but some members of the team joined residents to get their feedback on what they did/did not like about the scheme.
Catherine, from make:good, collected feedback from residents to share with the design team and we have written a summary of this here. When designing it is just as useful to know the things that people do not want to see as those that they do so this feedback will help inform the designs for Westbury.
One of the key concerns was that the new homes would be smaller than existing homes so we have included drawings to compare the size of existing homes on Westbury with St Oswalds Place and the London Design guidelines. The rooms at St Oswalds Place are within current guidelines but they feel smaller as they were designed to fit within an awkward site and some of the rooms have splayed walls (not at right angles).
External Space
Pros -Fob access to bin stores was secure and people felt that this arrangement keeps these areas looking neat & tidy.
Cons -Some people do not like how the building looks from the outside. They commented that it looks like a warehouse and it lacks character.
-Others do not like the dark colour on the doors at ground floor for the bin store and bike store.
Shared Space
Cons -There were comments that the stairwell was a bit depressing as it has no windows and feels like an old dormitory.
-Some people commented that the lobbies to the flat entrances were small and would get crowded.
Kitchens
Cons -People felt the kitchen did not have enough work surface for cooking.
-People would like choices over kitchen cupboard finishes.
-Kitchen units need to accommodate adequate storage.
-People would like to see space for a table and chairs in the kitchens.
-Some residents found some of the Kitchen layouts awkward especially the locations of appliances like the fridge/freezer.
Internal Space
Pros -The number of plug sockets provided was good and the overall quality of the finish was good with neat plastering and painting.
-The size of the balcony seen was good but people emphasised that every home needs to have private outdoor space.
Cons -Some people felt that separate kitchen and living space is essential, others liked the combined spaces.
-The room sizes varied with some very small rooms, odd shapes and angles that would make the rooms hard to use and furnish.
-Some people suggested that3 bedroom flats need to have a separate WC as well as a bathroom.
Some residents were concerned about the size of the properties they saw on the trip to St. Oswald’s Place and what that might mean for the new homes on Westbury.
St. Oswald’s Place is just within current standards, however the rooms feel smaller as they were designed with splay walls as a way to fit within the awkward shape of the site. This would not be a problem on Westbury.
The standards applied for Westbury will achieve a better layout as there are no awkward site constraints, and on a similar sized property will exceed the size of this apartment.
The existing low rise homes on Westbury have smaller bedrooms, outdoor space, and overall Net Internal Area (NIA) than current standards would dictate.
The new homes on Westbury will comply with current housing standards meaning that bedrooms, kitchen, living area, balconies and overall square footage in the new homes will be bigger. Because residents are going to be involved in the design of the new homes you will get to have your say with regards to aspects of layout and some finishings in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Alongside the first newsletter we circulated our commitment to working with residents which you can read here.
Alongside the first newsletter we circulated an estimated project timeline which you can read here.
We look forward to meeting you at our upcoming events.