About Barratt Homes - Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable

Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
Welcome to our exhibition
We’d like to share with you today our draft proposals for the redevelopment of the former office and factory buildings off
Frenchs Avenue in Dunstable. Outline planning permission, setting the principle of residential development for the site, was
granted by Central Bedfordshire Council earlier this year. Barratt Homes, an award winning housebuilder, has now taken on
the site and our team are working on creating a high quality new residential development.
The outline permission set down some key principles we need to follow:
• Road access
•Principle of residential development, including maximum number of homes determined by floor space
• Contributions towards local services
Our team are now working on a ‘reserved matters’ application, which
builds on the outline application and looks at:
• How the new homes will look
• Landscaping, parking and green space
• The number of new homes, sizes and styles
We’d like to know what you think about our proposals before we submit
them to Central Bedfordshire Council for determination.
About Barratt Homes
For more than 50 years, Barratt Homes has been building
award-winning homes and creating great places.
We are proud to be the only major housebuilder to have
been awarded the Home Builders Federation 5 Star Status
for customer satisfaction for the past five years in a row.
We are committed to ensuring all of our developments
achieve Building for Life 12 Standards for design.
In 2013/14 our site managers won more NHBC Pride in
the Job awards for quality workmanship than any other
housebuilder.
We were named Large Developer of the Year in the 2014
RESI Awards.
Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
Redeveloping the former factory site
The 7.9ha site is a disused factory building, bordering existing residential streets (Suncote Avenue and Suncote Close) and
other factories as well as the Suncote Pit County Wildlife Site.
Our proposals would see the demolition of the redundant buildings and the site redeveloped to provide new homes as well as
landscaped green areas and playgrounds. The proposals would keep the entrance from Frenchs Avenue.
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Our proposals include 240 well designed new homes and
apartments. One fifth of these will be for affordable rent and
shared ownership, managed by a local housing association.
The majority of the homes will be family 3 and 4 bedroom
homes, with smaller starter homes and affordable homes
across the site to cater for those stepping onto the housing
ladder and to cater for a wide range of people.
Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
High quality new homes
We pride ourselves on creating high quality, well designed schemes with landscaping, materials and design all important parts
of each and every development. Private market housing makes up the majority of the scheme, with 2, 3 and 4 bed houses and
2 bedroom apartments. A fifth would be affordable housing, including 2 and 3 bedroom houses and 2 bedroom apartments.
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The development will be mainly 2 - 2.5 storey homes. Heights have been carefully considered to create a good mix of shape
and size whilst respecting neighbouring properties. Two apartment buildings frame the entrance of the site with an additional
3 storey building in the central area, looking over the green space.
Barratt Homes is proud to have worked with government and industry to create the latest
Building for Life 12 standards to guide innovative best practice techniques, which we place
at the centre of every scheme.
All our homes follow a ‘fabric first’ approach, building in innovative water and energy
saving techniques from the very start through our choice of materials and our design.
10% of the new homes will also be designed to Lifetime Homes Standards, allowing homes
to be adapted as and when required for those with reduced mobility.
Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
Responding to the previous comments
As part of the outline application, the applicant and the council undertook public consultation. Whilst many of these
comments related to the outline, some of them retailed to issues which we have been considering. We have addressed some
of the key areas below.
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The proposals enhance and strengthen
borders with neighbouring properties
using close board fencing and
landscaping. Next to the wildlife site,
appropriate fencing will be included with
gates to avoid access by cars, restricting
it to pedestrians only.
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RETAINING WALLS ALONG
BOUNDARY TO HAVE TERRAM
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Traffic and access
The proposals will have one main vehicle access and an emergency access. Additional footpath links will be provided. The
outline planning application set the number of homes and associated traffic movements on the highways network following
independent assessment by the Highways Authority who raised no objections.
Construction management
Barratt Homes strive to be good neighbours during construction. Our teams use initiatives such as dust suppression and
wheel/road cleaning, as well as ensuring working on-site is strictly managed during operating hours. Demolition works will
be carefully controlled and a site manager will liaise with local residents to ensure that any problems or issues that arise are
addressed promptly.
Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
Affordable housing
The affordable housing will be largely
indistinguishable from the private homes.
This will be situated in small pockets within
the site, as shown to the right.
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Creating a balanced development
A mix of building heights are important to create a varied and interesting development. We have specially designed two
apartment buildings fronting onto Frenchs Avenue, to help provide an interesting frontage and entrance to the development.
These will reflect the design of neighbouring properties as well as adding to our broad mix of new homes.
Where the
development
backs onto the
existing residential
homes, appropriate
separation and the
use of Velux windows
in the roof space to
avoid overlooking will
ensure that privacy is
not compromised.
Barratt Homes
Frenchs Avenue, Dunstable
Next steps
This exhibition is the first stage of our consultation, an application will then be submitted formally to Central Bedfordshire
Council who will review the proposals and put the plans to their Development Management Committee. The council will also
undertake a formal consultation with statutory bodies and neighbouring properties.
An application is in the process of being submitted. Feedback we receive from today will be reviewed along with our
consultant team and officers at Central Bedfordshire Council as part of the consultation process run by the council.
You can let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions / improvements by completing our feedback form here
today or by returning it to:
Freepost,
MPC Feedback
You can also complete a form online at
www.barrattfrenchsavenue.co.uk
Or call our information line on
0800 148 8911
Our website will be kept updated with
the latest news and updates on
the application.
Thank you for coming.
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