New affordable city centre homes win top design award
A set of new council homes in the city’s famous North Laine have received a prestigious design award.
The development of 12 new council homes on Kensington Street won the Best Architectural Design in this year’s South East Construction Awards.
The award panel highlighted how the design recognised the historic and unique setting in Brighton’s North Laine, delivered new council homes and is helping the regeneration of Kensington Street.
The development includes one two-bedroom house and 11 one-bedroom homes, including a fully wheelchair-accessible flat. All the homes have been built to high energy and water efficient standards.
A street regenerated
Councillor Gill Williams, chair of the council’s housing committee, said: “These beautiful new high quality homes in the heart of the city have helped regenerate this street.
“They also provide much-needed affordable homes for people and show how the council is determined to create homes wherever possible.”
The award was presented to project architect Michelle Minogue from design and construction experts Baily Garner.
Local residents involved in the development
Michelle said: “The homes were developed in close consultation with local residents, the city’s housing and planning departments and councillors.
“They replace three run down sites that had been very popular with street artists, leading the street to be dubbed ‘Graffiti Alley’.”
The artwork had become a tourist attraction in the city, and before work started the council recorded the street art on the sites and put together a public display of the photographs.
The images have now been archived in The Keep archives, close to the University of Sussex, so that a permanent record of this art is retained for future generations.
More awards in the future?
The scheme has also recently been shortlisted for a Royal Town Planning Institute award for Planning Excellence, with the announcement being made next month.
The development is part of the council’s New Homes for Neighbourhoods programme aiming to build 500 new council-rented homes in the city.
