Vyvyan's Court Case Study

BACKGROUND

Of all the counties in the UK, Cornwall has the greatest imbalance between average earnings and average house prices.  Many people hold more than one job, yet average income remains around £19,000.  However, an average two-bedroom house in the county could sell for between £140,000 and £150,000.  With mortgage lenders usually offering to lend up to three or four times income, much of the housing market is simply out of the reach of many local people.  To compound the problem, those few homes that are deemed affordable are often not of a good standard. 

Cornwall County Council has therefore pledged to encourage new affordable housing – defined by the council as housing at a price sufficiently below open market levels.   Significantly, its initiatives include promoting private development, with arrangements in place so that both current and future residents benefit from reduced pricing.  Maintaining a balance is tricky.  Any initiative needs to ensure that owners receive a reasonable return on their investment when they come to sell, whilst preventing new buyers from then being priced out of the market.

Around 150 new homes are currently built in the region each year.  The council’s policy stipulates that 25% of all new homes must be affordable, but with 2,000 people on a waiting list, there is pressure to build affordable new homes more quickly.  The target now is to double the build rate to create 6,000 new homes in the next 20 years. 

In response to this need for more affordable housing, David Worlledge created Affordable Homes of Cornwall Ltd (AHOC), a housing development company specialising in providing affordable housing, particularly on former brownfield sites. 

The company was formed four years ago, following the urban capacity study by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which highlighted the number of available brownfield sites, whilst removing greenfield sites from the Emerging Local Plan.   AHOC targets first-time buyers, offering lower cost housing that is architecturally designed and therefore both attractive and comfortable to live in.  This is a particular challenge on brownfield sites because there is a need for substantial land remediation, and sometimes engineering work to deal with the many disused mine shafts in the region.  AHOC has already completed 135 homes in Redruth, Camborne, and Carbis Bay, although Vyvyan's Court is its largest scheme so far.  Another 350 homes are planned with 150 scheduled for 2007 alone.  AHOC receives no public funding, so its success relies entirely on the company’s ability to build quality housing cost effectively, but at a profit.

AHOC’s assistance to first-time buyers however is not just construction-led.  AHOC provides a ‘headstart’ scheme, offering additional loans of between £5,000 and £20,000 for potential homeowners on low incomes who find it difficult to agree a mortgage for the flats’ full value.  The repayments are then added to the buyer’s ground rent.

CAD Architects Ltd provides architectural consultancy.  The consultancy was formed in 2002, following an amalgamation of three former architectural practices – Hooper Dawes, Hocking & Newton, and Cornwall Architectural Design Ltd.  Focusing on projects within the South West region, the company seeks to preserve the best of the past, whilst providing contemporary design reference.  It has won awards for its work on projects such as the Hall For Cornwall in Truro, and The Cornwall Centre in Redruth.  The company also specialises in residential work, with architect Ross Edwards being skilled in producing affordable housing.  This was Ross’s fourth project with AHOC.

Vyvyan’s Court has also been given significant support from Camborne, Pool, and Redruth (CPR) Regeneration, the Urban Regeneration Company (URC) for Cornwall.  Set up by the ODPM, CPR Regeneration is one of 22 URCs in the United Kingdom which bring together funding partners, local stakeholders, and the private sector, to deliver ‘joined up’ regeneration projects.  Put simply, CPR Regeneration wants to create long-term sustainable communities.  Funded by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency), and through a grant from the Objective One Partnership, CPR Regeneration currently has finances to operate until March 2008.  

A trained architect and planner, Dave Slatter is CPR Regeneration’s planning and development manager.  After working in its own offices for three years, the organisation suggested that Dave be seconded to Kerrier District Council to help guide proposed projects through the district council’s planning process.  He now occupies an office at the council’s Camborne site, and is recruiting a team to assist him.

The Vyvyan’s Court project may never have been completed without the assistance of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).  Set up in 1999, CABE aims to influence those who determine the built environment to choose best design in terms of both construction and usability.  Expert advice is given via its ‘design review’ process, with nearly 4,000 buildings reviewed by CABE since its inception.  Mark Pearson is CABE’s representative in the South West, based in Falmouth, Cornwall.

DETAIL

The idea for Vyvyan’s Court was originally conceived in 2004, when Dave Slatter was approached by AHOC, enquiring about the suitability of the site for new housing.  The new development replaces derelict factory buildings on the one-acre site.  At the time, council policy dictated that only buildings offering new employment should be built on brownfield sites.  However, given the need for affordable homes and the length of time that the land had been derelict, Dave Slatter offered his support to a residential building.

After it bought the site at auction, Dave remained in contact with AHOC and soon received architectural plans for one two-storey building with a dual-pitch roof.  Although the building replicated the shape of the area’s Victorian granite homes, Dave felt that this imitation was unnecessary.  Keen to see the project given planning permission, Dave sought further advice on an alternative design from Mark Pearson at CABE.

The challenge for all involved was to create a finished building that not only met planning regulations and suited its location, but that also could be built economically in order to price the flats at an affordable level.

The first hurdle for Mark and Dave was to reconsider the building’s height.  As the factory buildings had been several storeys high, they decided that the new building need not remain at just two storeys.  After quickly developing a relationship with Ross at CAD Architects, new designs were drawn for three buildings which varied in height.  In addition, Mark recommended repositioning the proposed buildings to match the orientation of the surrounding housing estate.  An estate of social housing had been recently completed by Penwith Housing Association, and it was important that the new flats harmonised with these in order to create a ‘community’.

The new building designs also allowed for a choice in construction methods.  Whereas AHOC’s previous projects had all implemented a pre-fabricated approach, CAD decided that this would no longer be the most effective option for the whole building.  Even though stacked ‘modules’ were the preferred basis for the building, Ross eventually opted for a timber-framed rather than pre-fabricated roof, and sourced the materials from a local supplier saving 30% on the original budget.  The render applied to the building was also changed from plaster to recyclable materials, with sustainable Western Red Cedar wood, and aluminium cladding chosen. 

Once new designs for the buildings themselves had been drawn, Mark focused attention on landscaping the surrounding land and appointed MOR Design Landscape Architects to oversee the landscaping of surrounding gardens and a public amenity space.  It is standard policy for Kerrier District Council to insist that new residential buildings provide additional open public space for residents to enjoy, however from experience the team knew that many were only ever used to walk dogs.  Dave therefore recommended that AHOC invest funds into developing an additional larger recreation area just a few hundred yards further north.  This was quickly agreed with AHOC pledging £70,000. 

The final task was to achieve planning approval.  With his new position at Kerrier District Council, Dave Slatter had decided to implement a new way of disseminating information on projects awaiting planning approval by establishing a planning liaison team.  The team represents all the main interested parties related to planning applications from both private and public sectors, including Kerrier’s principal planner, the URC, the council’s building control department, the county highways team, Devon & Cornwall Police, the local housing officer, the environmental health department, and a landscape architect.  Through the team, designs are now discussed and amended at an early stage, to avoid planning rejections.  Vyvyan’s Court was one of the first projects considered by the team, enabling influencers to comment on the plans as they evolved. 

Following the completion of Vyvyan’s Court, the liaison team has continued to prove its effectiveness.  It meets every two weeks to discuss an agenda of new projects as well as running workshops and lectures for the private sector, spreading awareness of issues such as community safety.

As well as involving stakeholders through the planning liaison team, AHOC also held a public consultation to gain feedback on the plans.  All local residents were invited to attend a session at a local community hall, with a planning consultant, plus Ross and David.  The event featured an open discussion, whilst also encouraging anonymous opinions/comments with specific feedback forms. 

The result was strong local support for the project, as well as the understanding of the planning liaison team which importantly helped the project to receive planning approval quickly.

RESULTS

As the land for Vyvyan’s Court was a brownfield site, AHOC initially spent £50,000 demolishing the factory buildings, including removing heavy metal contamination from the land.  All the demolished materials were sold for recycling with the proceeds reinvested in the site, thus improving the scheme’s cost effectiveness.

The work has resulted in 56 one and two-bedroom apartments in three separate blocks.  All the flats feature an open-plan living area with a fitted kitchen and integrated appliances.  They are sold with completed décor, including laminate flooring and lightly coloured walls. 

Attention has also been paid to functional detail, with TV aerial sockets, communal satellite dishes, security cameras, smoke detectors, telephone points, and even a digital radio socket in each flat. 

The 44 compact, 36m² one-bedroom flats also have a fitted shower room, whereas the 12 two-bedroom flats have bathrooms.  All have thermostatic showers, fan heaters, heated towel rail, and extractor fans.  53 of the flats also have a balcony. 

With 56 flats in such close proximity to one another, sound insulation is crucial.  The flats are therefore double-glazed and contain both cavity wall and floor insulation to achieve a 63-decibel noise reduction. 

All 56 have already been sold – 50 to first-time buyers, with a third of buyers also taking advantage of the ‘headstart’ scheme.  25% were sold for just £78,850, 15% below the £92,500 asking price for the remaining units. 

Though some residents will benefit from the resale value on the open market (currently estimated at around £105,000), to avoid excessive increases the resale value of 14 flats will be determined as a percentage of their market value.

The flats are managed by Devon and Cornwall Housing Association, which looks after maintenance of the gardens, security, cleaning of communal areas, and windows, charging residents just £35 per month.

There has been some criticism of Vyvyan’s Court, with one local councillor labelling it as a ‘ghetto’.  However, with strong local support, the project has been passionately defended by surrounding residents and the developer.

CONCLUSIONS

Though significantly altered from the original concept, the new design was straightforward to construct and created a template that can now be taken elsewhere.  A similar project is already planned in Redruth.  Fitting in 110 units per hectare, and covering a 130m² footprint, Vyvyan’s Court has proven that compact affordable housing can be attractive as well as cost-effective. 

It has also featured on a new TV programme distributed to civil servants, called ‘Parliamentary Diaries’.  The programme, which is presented by Michael Buerke, may also appear on ITV2. 

David Worlledge developer commented:
“Critics said it couldn’t be done.  The conventional wisdom has always been that good quality starter homes could not be provided by the private sector, without any public subsidy, at genuinely affordable prices.  We have exploded that myth.”

Sam Dixon, a resident at Vyvyan’s Court said:
“It’s been incredibly difficult – there just wasn’t anything that I could afford – but now I’ve got independence and security at last.  I had looked into shared ownership with a housing association on another site, but was turned down because they didn’t think I could afford it, which was a bit shocking.  Then this came along, and it was absolutely perfect – exactly what I wanted and could afford.”

Helen Craig, another resident added:
"We earn around 20% less than London workers, yet house prices around here are at a similar level.  For the money, Vyvyan's Court is therefore very good value.  I've been in since June, and I think the building is lovely."

DOS AND DON’TS

Do

• Consider bringing all interested parties together to form a ‘planning liaison team’.  By reviewing and  explaining projects as they progress, seeking planning approval will become much easier.

• Challenge a brief.  Cost-effective building needn’t be at the expense of good design.
• Involve the community.  Long-term community support is crucial for the project to succeed.
• Invite local suppliers to tender.  Don’t be afraid to deviate from the ‘tried and tested’.
• Invite CABE to offer advice through its ‘design review’ service – it’s free, and can make all the difference when seeking planning approval! 

Don’t

• Assume that every project must provide open space in the immediate vicinity.  Sometimes a larger space  further away can be more beneficial.
• Be afraid to be ‘honest’ about the materials used in construction.  Don’t feel that the materials used must  always be covered in conventional render.

FIND OUT MORE

www.aheadstart4u.com/vyvyan/vyvyans_court.htm
www.cabe.org.uk
www.cadarchitects.co.uk
www.cprregeneration.co.uk