Hudsons Drive
- Local Authority – Birmingham City Council
- Housing Association – Optima Community Association
- Architect – ID Architects
- Contractor – Bullock Construction
- Number of units – 40 (22 apartments and 18 houses)
- Total cost – £4.2m
- Funding - £1.5m Homes & Communities Agency
- Completion – December 2009
The site – The development has transformed the site of a derelict ball bearings factory which had for years been the target of vandalism, anti-social behaviour and fly tipping, blighting the lives of people living in the 12 terrace houses facing onto the site.
Hudsons Drive lies just off the Pershore Road, one of the main roads into the city centre and it is just a few minutes from Cotteridge shopping centre and Kings Norton railway station.
The site itself is bordered on two sides by railway lines that converge in one corner of the site. Acoustic fences were constructed at the bottom of residents’ gardens in combination with sound reducing glazing/window solutions to mitigate against the noise.
Decking was installed at the end of gardens sloping steeply down onto the railway embankment to extend the useful space.
The scheme – 22, two, three and four bedroom houses, nine of which are for New Build HomeBuy and 18 two and three bedroom apartments, eight of which are for New Build HomeBuy.
The scheme uses traditional construction methods for the apartments and thin joint technology for the houses.
Built to EcoHomes standard ‘Very Good’, the construction includes high insulation, sustainable procurement of materials and low water usage. The scheme also meets the Secure by Design and Lifetime Homes standards.
Features – The scheme is an example of character building, with elements such as dummy windows. The external design includes Juliet balconies and a mixture of elevation treatments to create a sense of individuality.
Properties at the Hudsons Drive scheme are set around a courtyard to enhance natural surveillance.
Affordability – The scheme is a mix of social rent and low cost home ownership through the NewBuild HomeBuy scheme. The nine houses for New Build HomeBuy and three apartments were all sold off plan within four months of being placed on the market. There are now just three apartment available for purchase through the New Build HomeBuy scheme. Almost all the HomeBuy purchasers lived locally in private rented accommodation demonstrating the high pent up demand for affordable home ownership in the area.
Start date – January 2009
Last updated: 27-08-2010
