We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Affordable Housing category of these national awards for our Margaret Stancomb development in Trowbridge. We bought the derelict school site from Wiltshire Council in 2018 and converted the 19th century former school building into three shared ownership houses. We built a further 6 new builds on the surrounding grounds, with a mixture of social rent and shared ownership.
Paul Walsh, Selwood Housing group development director said,
We are delighted to be shortlisted by the British Homes Awards. This national award recognises high-quality homes and the importance of affordable homes. We are really pleased that the short-listing panel recognised our sensitive work converting the Victorian school building into three new homes. This conversion has secured an important part of Trowbridge history and given it a sustainable long-term use.
The British Homes Awards honour every aspect of housebuilding, with categories including housing partnerships, regeneration schemes, community-led projects, home interiors, smart homes, landscaping, and sustainability.
The Affordable Housing Award recognises high-quality developments that provide communities with truly affordable homes and enhance the lives of residents.
With over 500 households in need of affordable rented housing in Trowbridge alone, this brownfield site provided the opportunity to deliver quality affordable homes in a fantastic central location. The twelve properties for social rent are now providing secure homes for people on a lower income, while the nine shared ownership properties have helped local families get on to the housing ladder.
The Selwood Housing development team and our partners at EG Carters, Quattro and Frank Timothy Associates did a great job bringing their imagination, skills and resources together to convert the Victorian school in such a sensitive way. I’d also like to thank Homes England and Wiltshire Council for their support to help us bring back to life a town-centre site that had been derelict for ten years and to deliver much-needed affordable homes in Trowbridge.
As the only shortlisted development outside the South East of England, this is a great achievement for a local housing association, and for our partners who helped bring this development to life.
Phil Barnes, E G Carter & Co Ltd Associate Director said,
We are thrilled that this project has been shortlisted, demonstrating that the efforts of the team involved in delivering this fantastic project have been recognised.
Homes England provided funding of over £1 million to support this development and the regeneration represents a total investment of £4 million in the local area, which also supported 65 jobs.
The winner will be announced at the British Homes Awards ceremony on the 12th November.
