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27 July 2009
Countryside Properties has today commenced work for Choices for Grahame Park (CfGP), part of Genesis Housing Group, on the first major phase of development at Grahame Park, in Colindale, North London. Phase 1a includes 319 new homes which will be built by 2012. The contract is valued at £42m.
We are providing CfGP with a comprehensive package of services for the regeneration of Grahame Park. These comprise Design and Build, Project Management, Development Management and Sales and Marketing. This has enabled CfGP to secure all our skills and expertise in housing for sale, including the use of the highly valued Countryside brand in a one stop service for the housing for sale, in conjunction with contracts to undertake the design and construction of all the new homes.
The plan to regenerate the whole of the Grahame Park estate comprises an £800m, 3,000-home programme – one of the largest regeneration schemes in Europe. Joint master planners for the scheme are Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE) architects and Levitt Bernstein. Once the 18-year project is complete, Grahame Park will be a successful, mixed-tenure neighbourhood with parks, shops, a new library, health centre and a community centre.
The homes have been designed by PTE in graceful crescents around the parkland and ponds on the west side of the open space at Grahame Park. These crescents will comprise 155 homes for private sale, 30 for shared ownership and 134 for affordable rent, arranged in six main blocks. Careful design will ensure the tenure of each home is not obvious externally. All homes for sale will be one- or two-bedroom flats, while the homes for rent are a mixture of houses and flats of various sizes.
The open space will be upgraded to form a large green hub of ecological biodiversity and amenity where residents and the wider community can play and relax. This parkland will also be a useful educational resource for students at local schools and for conservation groups. The ponds will be remodelled to include features such as water-edge decks and bridges. Drainage will be sustainable and there will be wetland planting to decrease the prospect of flooding.
Anne Dufton, Chief Executive of Choices for Grahame Park comments, "Starting on site with a major regeneration scheme such as Grahame Park in the current economic climate is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved. We are now able to deliver our commitment to provide quality homes in an excellent environment for residents here. We are all delighted."
Councillor Richard Cornelius, Barnet Council’s Cabinet member for Community Services, said: "This is great news for Grahame Park in which we begin radical improvements for everyone who lives on the estate.
Notes to editors
Choices for Grahame Park (CfGP) is part of Genesis Housing Group. It works in partnership with Barnet Council to deliver the regeneration of Grahame Park, which is one of Barnet’s five strategic regeneration programmes.
The regeneration of Grahame Park will take about 18 years and will cost some £800m. It is one of the largest regeneration schemes in the country. It will involve the demolition of 1,314 homes and the building of 3,000 new ones, plus a new library, health centre, community centre, public square, shops, parks and play areas. The new homes will be a mix of rent, shared ownership and outright sale.
The existing Council-secure tenants will be offered re-housing in the new rented homes, which will be owned by PCHA, also part of Genesis Housing Group.
Consultant team for CfGP:
- Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects – urban design and project architects
- Levitt Bernstein Associates – landscape design
- Gardiner & Theobold – cost consultants and employers agents
- Brand Leonard – structural engineers
- AWA – mechanical and electrical engineers
Genesis Housing Group is a social investment business. It provides homes and services, supporting customers and communities to build futures. Genesis provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east of England. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads, Springboard and St Matthew housing associations. Genesis also has in its group a charitable foundation, Genesis Community. It is one of the largest and most diverse housing groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 40,000 homes. Its overriding aim is to put customers first and provide excellent service.
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Information correct as at 03/11/2009