Member Article

Work completes on former York school

Work to create 55 new homes on a former school site in Acomb, York has completed.

Our Lady’s Primary School, which was built in the 1960’s and closed in 2012, was demolished to create the mix of two and three bedroom homes for leading social landlord, Yorkshire Housing.

Designed by architects Brewster Bye, the development includes a mix of terraced and semi-detached homes with gardens and parking. The affordable homes will now be rented out by Yorkshire Housing to people based on an assessment of need and demand in the area for the housing type. Some of the properties are also for sale.

Mark Henderson, a Director at Brewster Bye Architects, says: “All of the homes have been designed to an exceptional standard and are low maintenance and energy efficient. Each property has achieved Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 by using a fabric first solution. Residents could therefore benefit from lower fuel bills, without having to make any lifestyle changes.

“In addition, we wanted to make sure that the layout of the development complemented the surrounding environment and this has certainly been achieved, with the scheme sitting comfortably within the existing streetscape.

“We have created an overall mews like character to the development and there is a real sense of place to the scheme. Most of the of the homes take advantage of the rural views and the majority have attractive, spacious and private south facing rear gardens.

“The homes are built from reclaimed brick with artificial slate and red pantiles on the roof, with elegant detailing and are two storeys in height. The sizeable gardens have also allowed for the planting of new trees and the majority of trees along the eastern and southern site boundaries have also been kept.”

Yorkshire Housing Project Manager Jonathan Turner says: “The development is just three miles south west of York City Centre and will help to address the shortage of homes in the area. Brewster Bye’s design is not only energy-efficient, appealing to the eye and fits in well with the area, but it’s also very safe and secure thanks to the design of the layout of the scheme. The organisation of the homes and access roads has helped to create a village feel that will no doubt help to foster a good community spirit.”

For more details on the development visit www.yorkshirehousing.co.uk or call 0345 366 4404.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Mortimer .