In June 2011 Wulvern Housing Trust won 'Best Impact on the Community' award in the regional North West 'What we Are Proud of' Awards for the regeneration project Sherbourne Road.
The 'What We Are Proud Of Awards' celebrate outstanding projects run by housing associations across the country judged by a tenant panel for the National Housing Federation.
The Sherborne Road regeneration project has given a new lease of life to the physical and social environment of the Sherborne housing estate in Crewe. The once popular estate, of Radburn design, is within the 10% most deprived wards in the country and was in crisis - suffering from high numbers of empty and difficult to let homes, escalating crime, high inter-generational unemployment, extreme family stress, a disproportionately high number of single parent families and a crippling negative self-identity.
The refurbished houses are all two storey traditional construction family houses with gardens built in the early 70's. Remodelling of houses was essential to open up the previously 'blind', almost windowless, front elevations and give the estate some 'eyes on streets'. Work included:
• re-positioning of front doors onto the front façade
• knocking through of the under-stair store to provide a large new living room window
• addition of pitched roofs and white render finish to porches
New build houses were bespoke designs for the site including a terrace of six, a pair of semis and one detached house. The curved end-terrace house is designed to 'turn the corner' and includes space and structure to convert the attic into a fourth bedroom in the future. All houses are designed with bays, gable end and corner windows to enhance natural surveillance of surrounding streets. The striking contemporary style of the new houses balances a respect for the scale and rhythm of existing properties but with a brighter modern aesthetic to lift the feel of the estate. A shared palette of external materials and colours including brick walls, steel railings and timber fencing helps to unify the feel of the public realm between the new build and refurbishments.
The award comes just weeks after the scheme was recognizes as Best Regeneration Scheme at the 2011 Housing Excellence Awards. Well done to all the teams involved in the planning, delivery and ongoing maintenance of Sherbourne Road it truly is a development to be proud of.