History of site

The original site is part of Sutton Council’s Sutton One Housing Zone, which was approved by the Mayor of London in 2015 as one of the capital’s 20 Housing Zones. A mix of family homes and affordable homes that were to be built on the former industrial site, Felnex Trading Estate in Hackbridge and forms part of a major regeneration project.

The project

The site comprises of 805 new homes comprising 562 apartments, 80 assisted living apartments and 163 houses.  At the core of the site is a central landscaped green, creating a breathing space in the heart of the development to be enjoyed by all the residents of Hackbridge. The green includes facilities for children’s play, social space and an area designed for use by organised events such as markets as well as informal activities.

The development has Building for Life approval which provides homebuyers with confidence that important design elements have been checked during the planning process. These include details such as adequate car parking, safe street design and access to amenities. Alongside the new homes the Sutton Decentralised Energy Company provides low-carbon energy for hot water and heating to the homes from the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility.

A green frontage space is in keeping with the existing landscaped area opposite and the neighbouring Grade II Listed public house.

Design process

The site had received planning permission at the point at which The Noble Consultancy were engaged to join the project and the original brief was to prepare technical designs.  Initially, P1 drawings were prepared followed by more detailed technical drawings to include substructure plans, dimension plans, construction sections and construction details. Every dwelling on this site was drawn as a bespoke house or flat type as the client did not utilise their standard house type range.

The client introduced timber frame structures to several of the planned apartments and this required a change from traditional masonry to timber frame materials. The Noble Consultancy adopted a lead consultant/project management role, liaising with  suppliers and consultants alike to ensure the working drawings were interpreted into the highest quality design solutions on site. It is clear that a collaborative process at this stage provided much added value.

The Noble Consultancy produced detailed technical drawings including bespoke detailing and were responsible for discharging a number of planning and technical conditions.

Project challenges

The bespoke nature of this project meant that each technical detail required careful consideration has to how details and materials could be successfully applied on site.  The main challenges faced on this project were the tight deadlines required to prepare drawings and respond to client changes whilst ensuring all project milestones were met; thereby avoiding any additional costs or delays for the client.

Conclusion

As at 2019, this development project remains under construction with 50% of dwellings occupied and The Noble Consultancy remain involved providing technical support, when required.

Barratt David Wilson Homes have worked with The Noble Consultancy across a number of residential design projects to date.