46 PROJECT REPORT: SOCIAL HOUSING
very apartment includes fibre broadband and is well ventilated. “We think about the quality of the build and design life,” says Samuels. “I think the most important thing is they are ‘tenure blind’ – you wouldn’t look at our schemes and say ‘that’s affordable,’ the quality is the same.” The company also prioritises choosing a good design life when choosing individual products, and Samuels explains how focusing on little things can be just as important in creating a happy environment for everyone. “Bin stores and things like that are where you can get problems if you get it wrong, that’s where you’ll get anti-social behaviour and issues with how the building is used,” he says. The company also considers elements such as front door security, windows with safety latches for children, balustrade locations and widths, and even things like pigeon netting. “You’re thinking longer term about the wellbeing of the families and communities – if you can get it right early on then people will own it, they’re proud of the space and that makes a big difference.”
he development was finished in October 2023, after a brief delay towards the end of the project due to site logistics and getting final things such as ection 278 works tied up. Samuels says overall it was one of the more complicated projects
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the company has worked on, due not only to the logistical issues but also because this project was an anomaly for VIVID in that they took on the D&B contract, usually preferring to work with various partners to develop schemes. With residents having been in the apartments for almost a year, Samuels admits there hasn’t been a huge amount of feedback from them when residents are happy, they don’t want to talk to us!” There have been a few minor snagging issues with things such as door locks but, he says, the way housing providers react to that is just as important. Drew Smith as a construction brand was shut down and there were some staff redundancies which has affected them closing out the defects in a timely manner..”
Overall, Samuels believes VIVID’s “partnering approach” was key to getting this complex project over the line. “We work closely with all the local authorities in our area and have strong relationships with most of them,” he says. “Local authorities and registered providers like us have similar values, the outcome we want is the same – good quality housing that’s affordable for local people. By working with Portsmouth to get this through we’ve got a brilliant product that they’re proud of as much as we are.”
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