The scheme will transform the Wood End estate, where 300 homes lie empty, in the north of the city. It will be a joint venture between the NDC, the council and registered social landlord Whitefriars Housing Group.
NDC chief executive John Morris said it could be "the starting point for housing-led regeneration across Coventry".
The NDC approved the project at a meeting last Thursday, and will tender for a private developer partner in the next few months.
The scheme will change the balance of the estate from 80% social rented to about 30%.
It will end up with 3800-4400 homes in total, depending on how many the private developer needs to make the project stack up financially.
More than 2000 of the 3150 homes on the estate will be demolished – these will include 1700 Whitefriars homes. The remaining 400 homes will be refurbished and 1000 affordable rented homes will be built.
Whitefriars can cut its stock because of the lack of housing demand on the estate: there are 300 void properties and 45% of the 1800 tenants are on the transfer list to leave.
But Alison Hadden, executive director at Whitefriars, said no one would be forced to leave: "We want an area where people want to stay, where people don't have to move if they become successful, so we're guaranteeing a place for anyone that wants to stay," she said.
Although there is some local opposition to the development, with a petition being organised, residents largely back the plan. Tenant board member Pam Lewis said: "People realise something's got to happen here, otherwise it'll be a derelict slum in 10 years."
HTA Architects is masterplanning the scheme and will use design codes, although the types have yet to be chosen.
Design codes dictate issues such as window size and the type of roof tiles used, and are favoured by the ODPM because it sees them as ensuring a consistent appearance and thus speeding up the planning process.
Source
Housing Today
No comments yet