Project Introduction
We were appointed by Bolsover District Council as part of the 5-year programme of works to deliver 100 homes. This case study focuses on the Whitwell cluster which comprises of four different sites including, Longcroft, Claylands, Bakestone Moor and Doles Lane. Overall, there are 16 houses, including 4 bungalows. The house-building partnership is one of the Council’s ambitious housing programmes to provide energy efficient properties, built to the highest standards and to meet local communities housing needs. The houses have been built to meet the Lifetime Homes Standard which ensure they can be adapted easily to fit the needs of those living there. All sites are under one contract with the client, undertaking a Design and Build 2016 form of contract.
Going The Extra Mile
Early engagement with the local authority allowed us to adopt a flexible approach to our service. To allow a particular tenant at the Claylands site to move in quickly, we worked collaboratively with the clients nominated fitters, giving them access to the property so they could complete the internal finished to suit the elderly woman’s needs. The success of collaborative work and allowing access to the nominated fitters also meant that we finished the site 8 weeks ahead of schedule.
Social Value
We scored 9/9 for local community impact during the independent CCS audit, demonstrating the exceptional consideration to their impact on the neighbours and the general public, by doing the following:
- Utilising an existing bungalow which minimised disruption in the community that would have been caused by site cabins being installed.
- We formed a car park on land belonging to the local football team which was being used as off-road parking for the work force and has been left as a legacy for the football team to use.
- Careers video’s had been filmed at Whitwell including individuals on site giving an insight into the various roles in construction. This was available to schools and colleges due to visits not being possible during the pandemic.
Environmental Benefits
Given that these sites were located within the heart of urban area we recognised the valuable benefits of delivering the ecological aspirations proposed by the planning authority. As such we installed:
- Bee boxes
- Hedgehog folds in fencing
- Bird and bat boxes
Working In Confined Sites
During the delivery of the Claylands site, we demolished the former vacant garages to construct 3 new 2bed bungalows. Working on a confined site can present multiple challenges, which is why we adopt a strict policy to maintain a clean working environment. To aid this we adopted just in time delivery of materials, thereby minimising the need for storage on site. During the pre-construction phase, we noted the vacant site, adjacent to our development site, which was prone to fly-tipping. Following discussions with the client project manager, we secured the adjacent site and used it to store materials. This meant that over the course of the build programme no fly tipping was seen at the site or around the immediate area.
Innovation
During the delivery of Doles Lane, we noted the main water service from severn Trent water, was close to the boundary of a private residential property. To avoid the need to lay new water connections around the private property we engaged the local resident, the water authority and local council to seek access from the private property, rather than the main highway. This solution saved the project £19,000 in potential service works, we then re-invested £5,000 of the saving to install a new perimeter fence to the private property, thanking the resident for their co-operation. This innovative solution saved the project time and money.
Total Social, Economic & Environmental Impact:
£4,512,066
Every £1 spent = £2.40 into the local area