Events

Erection of 10 houses at Snowdon Road, Burnhill Green - The Crown Estate

Rural areas and natural environment commendation 2011

Summary

Erection of 10 Houses at Snowdon Road, Burnhill Green 1.jpg

The Crown Estate owns a small cluster of existing attractive dwellings within the settlement of Burnhill Green. In cooperation with the district council and the local community an excellently designed scheme for 10 additional dwellings has been built. The Crown Estate did not seek a normal return on its investment in order to ensure that the development would be affordable to local people. This speaks volumes for the commitment of the Crown Estate to the local community, which includes many of it's estate workers.

Background

Burnhill Green is a small settlement situated in the Green Belt between Wolverhampton and Telford. It is fairly remote, but has a lively and interested community. It has suffered from lack of investment and the loss of essential services, like the school, post office and lack of affordable housing. There are 120 people on the electoral role. Notwithstanding these problems the village is attractive, well cared for and highly valued by its community. It is served by a large public house, which also serves as a community centre. The Crown Estate own and manage the Patshull Estate, part of which is included within Burnshill Green. Relationships between the Crown Estate, the community and South Staffordshire Council are good.

Project description

In its adopted local plan, the district council identified Burnshill Green as the only settlement in the green belt as being capable of accommodating a modest addition to its housing stock.

The Crown Estate owned a small cluster of existing attractive dwellings within the settlement which were widely spaced and capable of selective infilling. In cooperation with the district council and the local community an excellently designed scheme for 10 additional dwellings of high quality and sympathetic design was drawn up. Four of these new dwellings were to be “affordable dwellings” subject to nomination rights by the council. All the new dwellings were to be rented with a deliberate policy of letting only to people with a local connection. The Crown Estate did not seek a normal return on its investment in order to ensure that the development would be affordable to local people and secured a 5%-6% return. This speaks volumes for the commitment of the Crown Estate to the local community which contains many of its estate workers.

Planning Achievement

The development is exceptionally well designed, with careful use of local materials and with high environmental standards, including substantial insulation and ground source heat pumps;
It has added new life to the settlement and as well as providing homes for estate workers, has enabled local people to return to the settlement they were brought up in.