Aerial Map of the My North Town renewal area

First Wessex Housing Group, in partnership with, Rushmoor Borough Council, has today announced a major renewal scheme of First Wessex stock in the North Town area of Aldershot. This marks the start of the important public consultation phase of the proposed £100 million redevelopment and regeneration scheme, known as My North Town.

The North Town estate was originally developed in 1950s and consists mainly of three storey red brick and concrete flats with tiled pitched roofs. There are approximately 500 homes in the area and the majority are occupied by First Wessex residents.

My North Town’s aim is to strengthen the existing community and provide buildings suitable for the next generation – comfortable, economical, eco-friendly homes in a mix of housing styles with courtyard communities and gardens. The project wants to build on the existing sense of community already felt in North Town. My North Town will be a safer, more attractive environment better suited to the needs of all sections of the community.
First Wessex Housing Group is part of the Hampshire-wide First Wessex Housing Group, a not for profit organisation, that has recently completed a public consultation on a similar size project which demonstrates its skills in the area of regeneration.

The project funding is available from three sources: grants from the Government’s Homes & Communities Agency (HCA); private sector finance and from First Wessex Housing Group’s own resources. The funding will enable complete replacement of the existing 500 homes, with the potential to develop a further 200 homes in future phases as long as planning permission can be obtained and issues arising from the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area designation can be resolved. An overall scheme called the MasterPlan will be prepared following resident and community consultation which starts today.

All of the current homes for rent will be replaced with new homes with affordable rents or for shared ownership. It is hoped that any later phases will provide a proportion of private ownership homes.

This is a regeneration project on a large scale. No areas are to be refurbished. The project will transform the estate over a period of seven years and will involve new building to replace the existing blocks of flats and retail units.

Why are you doing this?

Although the existing flats are structurally sound, the homes do not meet current standards in terms of heat loss and insulation and the current design of the estate creates areas of open space that are largely unused.

VIP Launch

Most flat layouts are spacious but during previous consultation exercises, a large number of tenants told First Wessex Housing Group that they would prefer to live in individual houses with gardens. In addition, there is an under-supply of larger family housing and little scope in the design to provide traditional garden layouts.

The My North Town Renewal Project’s long term aim is to produce a greater mix of housing, both more variety of sizes of homes including more houses with gardens and different types of ownership such as, general needs renting, shared ownership and private ownership.  All the homes will be built to the latest modern design and environmental standards.

What area is affected?

The aerial map clearly shows the My North Town Renewal area. In addition to First Wessex stock is a parade of shops with flats above and the North Town Base.  There is a sheltered housing scheme and nearby older people’s accommodation totalling around 35 residents.  There are also around 40 leaseholders. on the estate.

All of the affected residents, wider community and community groups have received a letter today from First Wessex Housing Group outlining the proposal, the timetable for the project and inviting them to participate in the community involvement events.  Affected residents of the renewal area have been invited to individual meetings with First Wessex staff to discuss their housing requirements and answer any urgent questions answered.

Residents in the sheltered housing and older people’s accommodation are receiving information and advice from First Wessex’s Older Persons’ Support Team who are able to provide assistance to these residents on a day to day basis.

The ward councillors for the area Councillors Keith Dibble, Sue Dibble and Frank Rust have been fully consulted on the renewal project and are available for any resident to contact them personally to discuss any concerns they may have.

A Freephone Enquiry line has also been set up and the number is 0800 358 0459. In addition there is a My North Town Renewal Project website www.mynorthtown.net

In addition to the public events (see below) First Wessex Housing Group has produced the following leaflets for residents and community groups:

• General Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
• Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for First Wessex Tenants
• Having to Move? A leaflet that explains what home loss and disturbance payments will be paid to affected residents.
• My North Town Newsletter issue 1

All of these leaflets can be downloaded from the website www.mynorthtown.net or requested by calling the FREEPHONE number 0800 358 0459.

Timetable for Public Consultation

The Design Team (Architects, Kenn Scaddan Associates; Planning Consultants, Gregory Gray Associates and Consultant Engineers, Upton McCougan) will, with First Wessex Housing Group, involve all residents and community groups.  A series of public events has been organised throughout March, April and May and will culminate in a report back to the community.

At these events residents, the wider community and community groups of North Town will have the fullest of opportunities to meet with all concerned to help shape the future of this important renewal area.  Following this, a MasterPlan for the estate will be produced and will form the basis of a planning application in the summer of 2009.

The community involvement events and public exhibition of the “Vision for My North Town Renewal Project” takes place over a series of drop in events at the North Town Base over six days.

The Community Involvement Week is 9-14 March at The North Town Community Base:

Monday 9 March: 12 noon–3pm

Tuesday 10 March: 1 pm–4 pm and 5 pm–8 pm

Wednesday 11 March: 9 am–12 noon

Thursday 12 March: 1 pm–4 pm

Friday 13 March: 9 am–4 pm

Saturday 14 March: 9 am–12 noon

First Wessex Housing Group Chief Executive Peter Walters says:
The regeneration of the North Town estate has long been talked about but today is the start of an opportunity for real change, for committed action and for the chance to improve the environment and the infrastructure at the heart of North Town.

Now we want to move to the next stage.  After considerable thought we have decided to make this a regeneration priority.  We look forward to engaging with the community and want everyone to have their say on the future plans for North Town.

We have already shown our commitment to the estate working with the North Town Partnership and Rushmoor Borough Council to bring improvements to the children’s play area and to revitalising the North Town Community Base.

Hazel Warwick, Group Regeneration and Development Director at First Wessex Housing Group reassures the residents by saying:
It is our aim that those who want to stay on the estate are able to do so; those who do not will be offered re-housing elsewhere in the Borough and owner occupiers can transfer their equity to a new home on the estate, if they wish.

Cllr Peter Moyle, Leader of Rushmoor Borough Council said:
We are extremely pleased to see the launch of this project and to be involved in seeing it delivered.  The £100 million investment by the First Wessex Housing Group shows a real commitment to improving the lquality of life for residents in the North Town area.  We are also pleased to see that residents will be involved at every stage in helping to design the future of the estate and in developing their local community.

Cllr Keith Dibble, ward councillor for the estate for over 25 years stated:
This is a great opportunity for the local community to shape their own future and have their say on how North Town will look in years to come.  Working together in partnership with First Wessex, the council with the support of residents aims to create a thriving and attractive new neighbourhood with the people and for the people.

Summary of Public Consultation Phase

20 February: Public announcement of the Project. First Wessex Housing Group begins individual interviews with residents directly affected by the My North Town Renewal Project to ensure that individual needs and wishes are recorded.

9–14 March: Public exhibitions and community drop in sessions begin with in North Town

April: Neighbourhood Workshop to consult on Draft MasterPlan

May: Exhibition and final consultation on MasterPlan

Summer: Planning application submission

Notes to Editors: Notes on Special Protection Area

The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area consists of open heathland, parts of which surround Rushmoor.  These areas provide habitats for protected bird species.  Natural England (The Government’s advisory body on ecological matters) believes that more people will come into an area if additional houses are built and that consequently there is a risk that more people will visit the SPA and disturb nesting birds.  Natural England therefore object to new housing development unless the developer is able to provide new areas of publicly accessible open space or contribute to improvement of existing spaces which they believe will attract visitors away from the protected areas.  The Council has very limited available land for improvement in this way although discussions with neighbouring authorities continue in the hope that further opportunities can be secured.  Without these, the Council will not be able to grant planning permission for additional (rather than replacement) housing on the North Town site.

It is hoped that because the My North Town project is a vital regeneration scheme it will receive priority when any allocation becomes available.  However we do not as yet have a firm date by which such land will become available and are therefore unable to be precise about when we will be in a position to seek permission for additional housing.