11/02/2008   D4/08   Downland

Exciting flagship housing proposal has ‘green heart’ at centre

A ‘green heart’ is at the centre of Downland’s proposals for the future of Wilmington Way in Haywards Heath, through its planning application to replace the existing homes and create a ‘community house’. This follows extensive consultation with residents.

The proposal will see the existing homes replaced with a range of 106 brand new houses and 79 purpose built apartments to meet the housing needs of local people.  Seventy one of the new homes will be available for affordable rent and 114 will be for private sale.  The proceeds from the homes for private sale will contribute to the costs of the affordable homes.

In a public consultation, which took place throughout 2006 and 2007, more than 90 per cent of tenants said they were in favour of the redevelopment and all of the current tenants are being offered new homes, either at Wilmington Way or elsewhere in the district. Only six families who want to remain at Wilmington Way will need to move to temporary homes on the estate while the work is taking place.

The development will include one and two-bedroom flats and houses, ranging from two to four bedrooms.  Residents have actively influenced the design of their new homes.  A community house is also being built to provide a local meeting place for groups and events, with funding being provided for a community worker to facilitate these activities.

The site has been designed to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, with the plans including a ‘green heart’, featuring a garden, square and a communal green. These will be linked mainly by pedestrian routes and will also connect Hanbury Lane with the Scrase Valley nature reserve.

The ‘green heart’ will mean that pedestrians can walk safely to green spaces and play areas without having to cross busy roads. Cycle routes have been included and gardens will be planted with fruit trees and fitted with bird, bat and insect boxes to attract and encourage a wide variety of wildlife.

Tracy Evans, Housing Services Director, said the development was very exciting. “We are extremely proud of this project. We have been working very closely with residents to understand their needs and have designed the houses to take into account their views. Our proposals mean that families who are currently overcrowded at Wilmington Way will get new homes of the right size for their family. Given the housing shortages in the South East it is a rare opportunity to be able to do this. We have also designed the affordable homes to meet Level Four of the Sustainability Code and by using solar panels and water recycling amongst other measures; our residents will have lower household running costs.

“Our main aim was to create a sustainable, vibrant community which people would aspire to live in and we are confident we will achieve this with this design. We have been in frequent consultation with council officers and local councillors and very much hope the council will agree with our proposals. We look forward to delivering this exciting new flagship project over the next few years.”

The development will be Downland’s biggest to date. No public funding was available for the project and the cost is being met entirely by Downland, assisted by the sale of private homes.

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