CASE STUDY 27
affordable housing scheme on the site – though as touched upon earlier, its provision would later be altered by the housing association partner.
The developer originally acquired the land with the intention of bringing affordable housing to the area – which was reportedly much-needed. But, rather than developing the homes for private rent or sale, Investar sought to partner with a housing association and a main contractor who both shared its vision for placemaking – each party moulding the project to enable this.
PLACEMAKING
In 2017, working with architecture practice TADW, Investar drew up plans to transform the site into affordable homes – initially 82 properties with 11 townhouses and 71 apartments, which, according to Michael Dong, CEO of Investar Property Group, “gained favourable feedback from Salford Council.” Dong continued: “Key to Investar’s plans for the site however was the need to work alongside partners that could enable a new sense of community in this location, with placemaking at its heart.” Investar therefore leveraged its existing relationship with Salford-based house- builder Watson Homes in order to approach the housing association, Places for People. “Forging a relationship with the new partners meant Investar chose to redesign the scheme to fit the client’s tight crite- ria,” said Dong. This new vision for Melody Gardens was based on the need to meet Places for People’s delivery model and standards for quality housing.” Investar originally designed Melody
Gardens as a mix of apartments and houses totalling 82 units for open market sale, with 70 per cent parking provision. However, as Mike Watson, CEO of
Watson Homes explained, “On partnering with Places for People, the scheme was completely redesigned to meet the client’s requirements: building fewer units, with less profit, to work as an affordable rent model.” To enact this new joint vision, Investar worked closely with the housing associa- tion to produce a less dense development that was in line with Places for People’s commitment to placemaking. The resulting redesign consists of a mixed- tenure scheme of 58 homes, comprising 17 one-bedroom apartments, 31 two- bedroom apartments, one two-bedroom bungalow, and nine two-storey houses. All 58 of these are to be allocated by the local authority Places for People to residents who are in housing need.
SITE ISSUES
Even with such partners, when moving onto the actual land intended for the homes, obstacles arose. Watson explained his thoughts upon first visiting the site: “It was a good flat site when Watson Homes first started on construction, but the biggest challenge was in the ground.” He continued: “Initially, it was believed all the slabs and foundations from the former buildings had been removed; however, that was not the case.” The foundations were at a considerable
depth, which meant additional works, and that this element of the scheme had to be extended by several weeks. “Thankfully,” Watson added, “we were able to gain this time back throughout the rest of the build.” Alongside the foundations, said Watson, water management in the homes was a key focus on the early stages of the scheme: “We set out to achieve a maximum of 110 litres of water per person per day, and had to consider how
(L-R) Karen Baldwin, development project officer, Places for People, Michael Dong, CEO Investar Property Group, Mike Watson, director, Watson Homes
RATHER THAN DEVELOPING THE HOMES FOR PRIVATE RENT OR SALE, INVESTAR SOUGHT TO PARTNER WITH A HOUSING ASSOCIATION AND A MAIN CONTRACTOR WHO BOTH SHARED ITS VISION FOR PLACEMAKING
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