May 31 2007
The creation of a sustainable neighbourhood on a former hospital site designed to minimise environmental impact has moved a step closer with the appointment of UK home builder, Taylor Woodrow, as preferred developer.
The selection was made by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, which acquired Leybourne Grange in West Malling near Maidstone, Kent, last year as part of its Hospital Sites Programme. Launched in 2005, the Programme aims to bring 96 redundant hospital sites across the country back into productive use.
Following a two-stage selection process, Taylor Woodrow successfully conformed to English Partnerships’ evaluation criteria, including sustainability, design quality, estate management and experience of community engagement.
Just under half of the 94 ha Leybourne Grange site will be redeveloped to accommodate a total of 722 homes, comprising 702 new properties and the conversion of the listed manor house into 21 apartments. All of the homes will meet the EcoHomes Excellent standard and 176 will be available for affordable rent or shared ownership, giving more people the opportunity to become homeowners.
Commenting on the appointment, David Ashworth, Acting Regional Director, South-East at English Partnerships, said; “We were very impressed with the Taylor Woodrow submission and are confident we have chosen the right development partner for Leybourne Grange. The team at Taylor Woodrow shares our commitment to achieving the highest possible environmental standards and finding innovative ways to cut carbon emissions across the site.
“We are looking forward to transforming this redundant former hospital site into a truly sustainable new neighbourhood that will bring a new vitality to the local area and increase the provision of affordable homes.”
John Holland- Kaye, Operations Director (Southern) at Taylor Woodrow said; “Taylor Woodrow is delighted to be awarded preferred developer status for such a landmark site and we are committed to employing the highest standards of construction and design throughout the development.
“Central to this will be the environmental aspects of our work. Taylor Woodrow appreciates that water resources are under pressure in the South East and as a response to this, the new community will have a range of water saving initiatives including grey water recycling. Additionally, in order to make these homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, there will be solar powered water heating and a large scale biomass boiler which will use plants grown on site or locally as fuel. Where possible existing onsite material will be recycled and new materials will be locally sourced to support the local economy.
“Transport links in the shape of buses, footpaths and cycle paths will be improved and provided to the nearby towns and train stations.”