Gloucester
Background
English Partnerships is a founding partner of the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company . Its mission is to ‘bring life back to historic areas of Gloucester’. To achieve this the urban regeneration company will:
- construct 3,000 new homes
- create 2,000 new jobs
- revitalise the city centre and historic waterfront
- redevelop 100ha of derelict land and over 80 historic buildings.
In early 2004 English Partnerships acquired the Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology Campus, in Brunswick Road, to assist the college in the construction of a brand new campus adjacent to Gloucester Docks.
The site, which was purchased for approximately £8m, provided the college with the leverage needed to obtain a record breaking £15m grant from the Learning and Skills Council that completed the funding package.
Work started on the 20,000 sq m new college in 2006. In September 2007, the brand new ‘Gloucestershire College’, opened its doors, providing 6,000 students with a range of academic disciplines including;arts and media, construction, engineering, care and business studies.
English Partnerships is now working with the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company and the Housing Corporation, to redevelop the recently vacated campus in Brunswick Road.
Current status
In September 2007, English Partnerships appointed Bristol-based housebuilder, Edward Ware Homes Ltd, to develop almost 400 new homes on the vacated campus on Brunswick Road that will set new standards for the design and sustainability of city centre housing developments.
This high quality scheme, known as Greyfriars, named after the adjacent mediaeval monastery site, will create a new environmentally friendly neighbourhood including, a neighbourhood resource centre and new public open spaces located adjacent to the heritage areas.
The scheme will incorporate mixed-tenure homes, with 25 per cent set aside for affordable rent or shared ownership. A further 15 per cent of the market sale homes will be reserved for first-time buyers, and controls will be put in place to limit the amount of buy-to-let properties. The scheme will achieve environmental standards in excess of Code Level 3 for Sustainable Homes and will include a range of low carbon measures; a biomass combined heat and power (CHP) system, solar heating, water saving fixtures and a sustainable approach to the use of materials.
Edward Ware Homes Ltd will be required to maintain the property portfolio for a minimum of 10 years, ensuring high levels of estate management and stewardship, maximising the return on the public sector investment in the site.
Later this year a nine-storey teaching block in the centre of the site will be demolished, to make way for a number of high quality residential squares with building heights limited to five storeys. Built in a range of complimentary styles, particular attention will be paid to designs that reflect the historic nature of the site and its heritage.
Gloucester city centre is currently under populated and English Partnerships regards this comprehensive redevelopment as an opportunity to attract more residents by creating a ‘flagship’ sustainable community that will be a model for contemporary city centre living.
English Partnerships is also undertaking the construction of a spectacular new bridge that will join-up the major canal-side regeneration areas in Gloucester, improving communication and opening up business and leisure opportunities.
The project costing in the region of £8m, is scheduled to open in spring 2008.