Yarborough Estate Regeneration

Yarborough residents were in the process of choosing the most suitable developers to carry forward the masterplan of their estate. With short notice and a lack of understanding about design issues, residents felt frustrated and unprepared for the exhibition of four developer bids. They needed confidence in knowing what to expect and guidance in what to look out for.

Yarborough Estate in Lincolnshire is undergoing housing renewal through demolition and new build. The estate is situated in Grimsby with approximately 300 ex-council owned properties that are now owned by Shoreline Housing Partnership, a local housing association. Due to an inherent defect in the original method of construction the properties were likely to become uninhabitable over the coming years. In consultation with local residents Shoreline HP decided the best option for the future of the estate was to demolish all the housing and replace it  with new properties of mixed tenure, whilst rehousing existing residents within the new development, thereby increasing the density and introducing new groups of people to the area.

Prospective developers bid for the masterplan through a confidential selection process. The top four went on to exhibit at a public consultation day. This was the only chance residents got to view the proposals. A panel of judges, two of which were resident representatives, actually decided which developer would carry the scheme forward. The winning developer, Stamford Homes has pledged to consult the community at all stages of the development, promising to organise a series of master planning workshops involving local residents on the issues of play areas and the use of open spaces, how residents move around the estate, the type and look of the housing and study trips to completed projects.

In response to this development, the residents attended Homes by Design to gain the skills and knowledge to attempt to positively influence the redevelopment of their area. This initial introduction to design sparked interest and concern about the redevelopment, with residents increasingly wanting a say about where they were going to be living. Some of the residents attended other design training courses and applied for design support to skill up even more residents prior to the exhibition.

The Glass-House sent a representative to Grimsby to give a one-day workshop for residents. Its aim was to help them look at their area critically, understand key urban design issues and formulate a list of questions for the developers to ensure they would be able to make an informed choice about which proposal would best suit their needs and desires. The workshop included: estate walk around with a group of residents to understand the issues and gather opinions and preferences, value mapping and brief-making exercises, a session on understanding plans and drawings and what to look out for, developing a check list and list of questions to take to the exhibition, how to use an urban design best practice evaluation tool.

The residents had two elected representatives on the regeneration panel. Essentially it was their job to speak on behalf of all residents regarding the selection of the developer. So far resident involvement had not been ideal, the two representatives were only part of a larger panel of judges. The hope is that after the resident’s minimal input in the selection of the scheme they would then be able to play a more active and purposeful role in adapting the masterplan, working with the developers to inform the detailed plans.

More generally the Yarborough Tenants and Residents Association themselves are active in including and informing the area’s residents. They hold regular public meetings in conjunction with Shoreline HP to give information on current developments and every home in the affected area has completed a questionnaire about their preferences for the development.

A list was compiled of key question to assess the proposal. Tenants were provided with a structured survey tool to evaluate each masterplan. An action plan was devised for including wider resident opinions at the panel meeting.

Homes

• Demolition and new build
• Developers bidding for masterplan through exhibitions
• Delayed resident involvement

Representative and one-day workshop to understand design issues and considerations.

• Listed key questions to assess the proposal.
• Structured survey tool to evaluate each masterplan.
• Action plan for including wider resident opinions at the panel meeting.

• Spaces by Design
• Homes by Design
• Neighbourhoods by Design

Glass-House staff