Urban Housing Development – Working With Communities

House building in urban areas has many benefits. For a start, it’s more sustainable because people live closer to amenities and where they work. It also helps with regeneration and the development of diverse communities.

Innovative building technology makes developing relatively small urban and constrained sites more viable and less disruptive. Even so, there will inevitably be an impact on local residents while housing projects are completed.

Managing community relations is a vital aspect of these projects. It’s essential that nearby residents are kept informed, can see that minimising disturbance is a priority and, ideally, that they experience a benefit to offset the disruption that construction projects bring.

At the Daniels Road Estate in Southwark, Osborne recently created five town houses and a three story apartment block on two underused parcels of land. These were on a narrow strip in the middle of existing housing.

Over 220 homes are within the proximity. And when the pandemic hit early in 2020, many residents started to work from home and were sensitive to disruption during the day.

Communication and Consideration in Urban Housing Development

Communication with residents during demolition and construction work included a hand-delivered monthly newsletter. Homes next to access points were specifically kept informed about upcoming deliveries and closures.

Minimising noise was a priority – right down to specifying specialist spanners that helped us remove the aluminium formwork used to build floor slabs much more quietly.

In terms of active support for the community, Osborne donated excess materials for DIY projects and helped individuals with offloading and moving stone deliveries for their gardens. One resident who had scaffolding erected on their property had their lawn mowed and garden tidied regularly by our operatives.

The enduring community benefits include 19 new homes for social rent, landscaped gardens, play areas, and new pedestrian links.

Building energy-efficient homes for social rent in urban areas makes life much more affordable for residents and is an environmentally sustainable model. And by working closely with existing residents it’s possible to improve the lives of everyone in the surrounding community.

For more information contact Mike Peskin ([email protected]).