Countryside Properties, in partnership with Salford City Council and other stakeholders, is comprehensively regenerating Lower Broughton to create an inclusive, vibrant and attractive place to live. The project aims to greatly improve the quality of life for existing and new residents.
Transforming an area of 74 hectares over a 15 year period, a sustainable new community will be created at New Broughton featuring more than 3,000 mixed-tenure homes and a full range of community facilities and services including shops, leisure, employment, education and training.
The aim is to regenerate more than just the area's housing, but to meet the wider needs of the local community through broad investment. As such there will be a new school (which is due to open in September 2011), new job creation and opportunity for new and existing local businesses. High quality landscaping and open space provision will be fundamental to the success of the area.
Despite past investment and regeneration attempts in and around the area, the population in Lower Broughton had declined from around 12,000 to 1,800 people over the last 20 years. In recent years Lower Broughton, which is in the Manchester Salford Pathfinder Area just one mile from Manchester city centre, has suffered from high unemployment, anti-social behaviour and crime. New Broughton Village has therefore been designed to address the underlying social and economic problems in the area by creating a place where people will be proud to live, work and socialise.
The local community is at the heart of the planning and redevelopment of the area. The partners have worked extensively with existing residents and key stakeholders to evolve the vision of New Broughton into a master plan for the area that is shared and supported by all involved. Early consultation helped to obtain the support of the local community facilitating a sense of involvement.
That dialogue has continued as the project has progressed with a Community Steering Group being established to continually inform and ultimately manage the regenerated area. New Broughton Village recently received the Royal Town Planning Institute North West award for ‘Best Community Involvement’ in recognition of the partnering approach which has also involved the community through local supply chain management and the employment of local residents on site.
New Broughton is a partnership between Countryside Properties, Salford City Council, Contour Housing Group, Great Places Housing Group and ALMO Salix Homes, in conjunction with local residents. Here, strong partnership working rather than a formal procurement process has enabled the partners to make strong progress. Indeed, the partnership’s vision has started to become a reality - two phases of 651 new homes have now been completed and a further two phases have commenced.
"We were particularly impressed by the real and genuine partnership between built environment professionals and private and public sector operators and by the commitment to listening to what the evolving community has to say. The scheme has raised the bar in the field of community planning and provided a template for others to follow and develop further to fit their own schemes. There is much good practice here which needs to be highlighted."
Judges of the Royal Town Planning Institute North West Awards 2009
Anti-social behaviour and crime have been tackled through the use of imaginative urban planning based on the principles of Secured by Design, with the new homes being designed around central courtyards. EcoHomes ratings of “Very Good” were achieved at the start of the development and more recently Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes is being delivered.
The designers focused on creating safe community spaces with the affordable housing being built to the same high design standard as homes for private sale, ‘pepper-potted’ throughout the development. In this way social inclusion is being actively promoted.
This unique partnership approach has helped to ensure that the community captured the social benefits of the regeneration through job creation and opportunities for new and existing local businesses. The development has improved the quality of life for existing residents and attracted new residents to the area who have in turn stimulated the economy, attracting investment and new enterprise. Consultation continues to ensure the future success of New Broughton Village.
For further information visit www.newbroughtonvillage.co.uk
"This may be one of the largest and most ambitious regeneration schemes in the country, but it remains grounded in meeting the needs of local people and retaining the area's strong sense of community."
Leader of Salford City Council, Cllr John Merry
Information correct as at 24/09/2010