RESIDENTIAL/PLANNED COMMUNITY

Awards07Res-Planned.indd 166 7/28/08 1:13:31 PM RESIDENTIAL/PLANNED COMMUNITY FINALIST Chimney Pot Park ,

Located in Salford, an outer suburb of , Chimney Pot Park is a radical redevelopment of 349 residential units in a troubled terrace-house neighborhood. For years, the community sufered from low demand and declining value, and was plagued by crime and antisocial behavior, absentee landlords and irresponsible tenants, and open back alleys that encouraged neglect and vandalism. With the original housing stock slated for demolition, Urban Splash—a development company renowned for regenerating distressed or problematic sites—drastically reconigured the in- ternal design and layout of the homes while retaining the original façades and street pattern. In 2001, the Seedley and Langworthy Partnership—composed of the Salford City Council, commu- nity stakeholders, and representatives from the police, public health organizations, the local housing association, and the schools—and Urban Splash developed a master plan to govern the redevelop- ment of the failed neighborhood and surrounding area. Recognizing that regenerating the neighbor- hood would entail acquiring the site in full, the local government used the innovative Homeswap

DEvELOPMENT TEAM

Owner/Developer Urban Splash Limited Manchester, United Kingdom www.urbansplash.co.uk

Design Architect shedkm ltd , United Kingdom www.shedkm.co.uk

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Awards07Res-Planned.indd 167 7/28/08 1:13:41 PM program. Under the scheme—the irst of its kind in the United Kingdom—the Salford council al- lows homeowners to trade their distressed properties for a refurbished home nearby, transferring the mortgage to the new property. The local council used compulsory purchase orders—the United Kingdom’s version of eminent domain—to acquire the remainder of the site. Built in 1910, the homes at Chimney Pot Park are arranged in a traditional terraced grid on a dense, 3.2-hectare (7.9-ac) site, adjoining a community park to the south. Led by the architecture irm shedkm ltd, the design team retained the street patterns and brick façades, leaving the neighbor- hood with a familiar density, scale, and urban typology. The original brickwork was refurbished, and new double-glazed wood windows and doors were installed. The chimney stacks were reimagined as chimney roof lights, which permit ample daylighting and supply a modern aesthetic to the Victorian- PROJECT DATA era homes. The interior coniguration and orientation to the street of each end unit was rotated 90 degrees to establish a new streetfront along the major access road. Website The troublesome, open alleys were closed of and are now only accessible by secure, gated entranc- www.chimneypotpark.co.uk es at the ends of the terraces. At the rear of the units, garden decks extend over the covered parking at ground level, accommodating 50 percent of the site’s parking requirements, with the remainder pro- Site Area vided on the street. The new balconies create private areas for each unit, screened by landscaping and 3.2 ha (7.9 ac) a linear herb garden. Facilities Inside the two-story homes, the interior functions have been inverted: the ground loor now con- 112 single-family units; 349 at sists of two bedrooms and a bathroom rather than the living area seen in the traditional layout. The buildout former attic space has been eliminated, replaced by a snug mezzanine level overlooking the upper- 113 parking spaces; 372 at buildout level living area. These upper levels feature interchangeable loor plans, with two layout choices for the kitchen, living room, and dining room. The expansive living area is now on the same level as the Land Uses raised deck, allowing homeowners to extend their living space to encompass the private garden. residential, parking To overcome the perception that Urban Splash was engaging in “house-lipping”—that low-income housing was being purchased cheaply, renovated, and resold at a proit—the developer involved local Start/Completion Dates community groups in the planning process from the beginning. All parties understood that wholesale October 2005–March 2007 (Phase I) changes were needed to stem the disinvestment seen in the Salford neighborhood. The original devel- opment agreement had reserved 50 units for low-income households; however, Urban Splash chose

168 BEST praCTiCES iN DEvElopMENT

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to market Chimney Pot Park through the country’s First Time Buyers’ Initiative—designed to enable those who cannot otherwise af ord a new home—and 91 units were sold on an af ordable basis. Led by Urban Splash, the marketing campaign generated signii cant interest in the retroi tted devel- opment: in the i rst 2.5 hours of the launch in April 2006, 108 homes were sold. House prices started at £9,950 (US$195,000), and the highest price was £144,000 (US$281,500), well above the average house value of £20,000 to £30,000 (US$39,000 to US$58,700) in the area i ve years prior. Chimney Pot Park demonstrates that innovative design can change market perception of an area and provides an adapt- PhotoGraPhs By PhotoFleX (166, 167l, 168); Joel Chester FIldes (167r); urBan sPlash able model for reusing existing housing stock to address community problems. (169l); Jonathan keenan (169tr); shedkM (169Br)

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