A former ‘sink estate’ in Stockton town centre could now be rebuilt as an exclusive “urban village” for retired residents.
More than 250 homes made up of maisonettes and flats are being demolished as part of the major regeneration of the 1960s Victoria Estate.
Stockton Council originally planned to clear the rundown estate of residents to make way for a range of 210 new homes for sale and rent.
But the authority now believes the supply of new family homes is being met in other developments close to Victoria.
This includes West End Gardens and North Shore, with the redevelopment of the Swainby Road site due to start soon.
The council is now exploring other potential development options for the Victoria site.
A report to Stockton’s cabinet says the site, behind Splash swimming pool, “may provide a unique opportunity to develop an urban village exclusively providing active ageing/retirement housing”.
The village could also help address “the lack of appropriate retirement housing options” in the borough.
The scheme could include a full range of 350 retirement homes, including bungalows, apartments and houses.
There would be a village green/park to take full advantage of the current site layout.
At the centre of the development would be a “neighbourhood hub”, providing communal leisure facilities.
This building would also provide the location of an extra care housing facility.
At the moment the urban village “is very much a concept”, says the report.
But cabinet are recommended to support a detailed appraisal to assess the viability of the proposal.
The report also reveals the pace of clearing the estate of residents has been quicker than initially anticipated.
At the end of October 2014, 112 of the 250 households have vacated the estate.
The first phase of demolition has recently finished and further phases are planned for spring 2015.
Initially it was anticipated that it would take up to five years for all households to move out - up to 2018.
But the report says the decanting timescale has “significantly quickened” due to the availability of alternative properties across the borough and households moving voluntarily.
The ambitious redevelopment is being carried out by Stockton Council in partnership with Tristar Homes, part of the Vela Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment