Holdcroft, Stoke Extra Care, Stoke-on-Trent
Overview
Sapphire comprises a number of firms which have experience in providing housing projects countrywide. These are Eric Wright Group, Your Housing Group, Kajima Partnerships Limited and Seddon Construction.
Sapphire has appointed Eric Wright Construction for the design and construction of the Holdcroft scheme.
Holdcroft is located at Abbey Hulton which was named after the former abbey that existed between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The development comprises two distinctly separate blocks set either side of a public square and the village hall and other communal areas spill out into the space, including a sun terrace on the first floor. The southern block is open-ended allowing sun to flood into the residents’ garden and its associated growing areas.
Holdcroft Extra Care provides 175 units, comprising 120 two bedroom flats and 55 one bedroom flats.
All the flat layouts have been designed to Lifetime Home Standards and can be considered to be ‘wheelchair lite’. In doing so, they offer access from the main bedroom to the bathroom with the potential for a hoist to be fitted at a later date.
All elements of the building have been designed to accord with the requirements and recommendations of Secured by Design.
The apartments provide recycling facilities in the resident’s kitchen, along with a number of recycling centres incorporated into the design allowing residents or care staff to drop off waste.
In the two bedroom flats, the partition walls around the second bedroom will be constructed with a number of knockout panels to provide future flexibility and enable the resident to tailor this space to their individual needs with no requirement for extensive alteration work.
Awards
LABC Building Excellence Awards
Finalist – Best Inclusive Building
Finalist – Best Social or Affordable New Housing Development
Finalist – Best High Volume New Housing Development
Key Challenges
This project was undertaken on a very tight site location surrounded by an existing housing estate and school.
We implemented a number of noise and duct reduction solutions to ensure minimum disruption to local residents and planned our material deliveries out of peak hours.
The ground conditions involved heavy clay with a number of mine shafts to cap and fill before the main construction works could commence.
A further challenge was the multiple stakeholders involved in the project including the funders, the council and the end users and ensuring everyone’s requirements were met and each party are happy with the completed schemes.
Added Value
Across the two Extra Care schemes we are pleased to have delivered the following:
- 134 new jobs created. Of which 91 of the people employed resided within 25km of postcode ST1 – these were all of different disciplines
- 7 apprentices have worked on the project
- 47% of people working on the project reside within 25km of postcode ST1
- 63% of materials procured up to end Feb 16 have been from the local area
- 91.5% of waste has been recycled
- Two work placements every month
Sustainability
The sustainability strategy for Holdcroft addresses key principles for energy, emissions, materials selection, water, pollution, waste, biodiversity, social and community and transport.
The scheme is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and a reduction of CO₂ emissions by a further 20% beyond Part L 2010 Building Regulation requirements.