Following a substantial period of planning, procurement and pre-construction input, Jenner are delighted to be appointed and underway in the construction of 189no. affordable new homes in the heart of Canterbury. The new homes, a mix of predominantly apartment living and some new build houses, are being delivered on behalf of longstanding client Hyde Housing and will be available for shared ownership and affordable rent upon completion in early 2023.
The twenty-nine-million-pound contract forms part of the Section106 Agreement to deliver the residential aspect of the wider multi-million-pound regeneration scheme that brings new retail and commercial space as well as substantial student accommodation to the city, and which sees the former Serco waste depot and neighbouring redundant land transformed into the impressive vision of developer LinkCity. With so many parties involved, open and honest communications, strong relations and transparency in our approach are wholly imperative at every stage in the delivery of this complex project.
Sub-divided into two sites for management purposes and working concurrently with fellow (international) contractor Bouygues, the major development consists of 173 apartments and 16 houses, technically designed by appointed Architects RDA from Ashford. The apartments are a carefully considered mix of one-, two- and three-bedroomed homes built across four blocks of reinforced concrete frame construction (with 17no being delivered via a separate smaller block, traditionally built), and all spaciously sized to accommodate two persons per bedroom. The project has the added challenge of constructing 106 of the apartments above an existing podium deck built by Bouygues. Success of these apartments is ultimately reliant on close and regular co-ordination between all parties involved, working under a Mutual Licence and Works Collaboration Agreement.
The apartments visually create a staggered effect through the differing storeys they are designed (and will be built) to, ranging from 6 storeys (to include a lower ground floor car park) down to 3. All (except two) have balconies to take advantage of the surrounding regenerated landscape and stunning cathedral views at the highest levels and some have terraces. The houses, of traditional brick and block construction are all three-bedroomed, sized to accommodate four people over two storeys and with good sized gardens to the rear.
Fronting the busy Kingsmead Road, one of Canterbury’s main thoroughfares, the site will soon be home to various mainstream restaurants as well as a new Cinema complex, welcoming a high footfall of visitors to enjoy the new facilities. At this point, once open to the public, construction of the residential aspect on behalf of Hyde will continue.
