Churchill Hui and Radian work with community
to complete Old Windsor scheme

13.06.2011

Radian has worked together with the local community to overcome initial reluctance in replacing a sheltered housing scheme in Old Windsor, with a mixed tenure of apartments and town houses, some of which will only be made available to the over 55s.

The community's initial reservation was mainly due to the severely restricted parking which was already causing problems in Lyndwood Drive, even before any work had occurred.

However, it became apparent during a long public consultation process with residents, and parish and borough councillors, that some of the unwillingness to embrace the development was due to the level of local history surrounding this site.

Lyndwood Drive is a cul-de-sac that, many years ago, used to lead to Lyndwood House. The grand house, which sat on a substantial plot of land either side of the drive, was home to the Randall fami ly who lived there for numerous generations and employed many of the local community. One current Lyndwood Drive resident, Dave Knight's grandfather was the Randall family chauffeur and his grandmother also worked for them at Lyndwood House decades ago.

Aware of this local connection, Radian worked in partnership with the residents and suppliers to overcome a challenging period and generate a positive outcome for to the local area.

To alleviate residents' concerns, Radian worked with the local planning authority to widen the width of the Lyndwood Drive and was also happy to make a financial contribution towards the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's consultation with the local residents regarding a parking permit scheme.

Radian organised an Open Day at the earliest opportunity to allow the local residents, who had tolerated the building site on their small cul-de-sac for a number of months, to view the finished houses and apartments befor e new residents move in.

Peter Coleman, Radian combined board member, said: "From the outset everyone at Radian were committed to working with the Old Windsor community. It has taken a long time to deliver, needed many hours of discussion and some compromises on both sides but that has ensured the scheme is one that both Radian, and the community can be proud of."

The architects, Churchill Hui, have designed a development boasting both one and two bed apartments, as well as three bed town houses. The apartments will provide comfortable homes for over 55 year olds, whilst the town houses offer much needed family homes.

It is anticipated that some of the flats will be occupied by older people who are currently under-occupying larges houses in the area, therefore freeing up more homes for local families.

In order to minimise the effect on local parking and maximise outdoor space, each of the houses has two parking spaces (two of which are i ntegral garages) and all benefit from private back gardens.

The ground floor apartments have a patio area and a further four have balconies.

John Lee, assistant clerk at Old Windsor Parish Council, said: "This development had all the potential to be a complete nightmare for the existing residents.

"The combination of a very good builder, great communication with the housing authority and the goodwill of existing residents meant that this was completed without any tears.

"Radian kept everyone up to date on developments and invited the existing residents input on things so we always felt part of the team."

Thames Bridges Bike Ride
33 miles, 14 bridges and one big challenge

21.04.2011

An intrepid team from Churchill Hui (Neil, Claire, Lee, Niall, Kevin, Geoff, Ian, Andrew M and Sam plus a couple of friends) have chosen to cycle the London Bridges Bike Ride on 22nd May 2011, from Southwark Park to Molesey Park near Hampton Court in aid of The Stroke Association.

Training is going well (one individual who shall remain nameless has spent vast quantities in Halfords hoping to improve the comfort of the ride), although there has been a distinct lack of pedalling coming from any of the team members to date – apparently Twickenham to Kent is not doable (some of us think that Southwark to Molesey is probably a struggle).

Why are we letting you know? Well in spite of the entertainment value for anyone who wishes to line the route (I promise you, some of these legs have not seen any pedalling action for a long time and some riders just have a habit of falling off on a regular basis – the excuse was the wrong type of tyres) we are attempting to raise money for a very worthwhile cause.

We would be very grateful if you would consider sponsoring us at the below link. We appreciate that in the current economic climate there are many demands on your hard earned money, however if you are able to donate anything, however small, it would be gratefully received by the team on behalf of The Stroke Association and will improve their motivation to actually complete the ride.

Please sponsor us at Just Giving → (external link)

St Mungo’s, 115 Pound Lane, Willesden
A centre for hope and transition

01.10.2010

Churchill Hui’s longstanding relationship with St Mungo’s continues with the opening of this new centre for the homeless in Brent.

As concept and planning architects our vision was to create a place of hope and transition, without the institutional and isolating feel of some hostels. Led by Architect Alex Murray, we wanted to create a relaxed, contemporary and welcoming atmosphere, with ‘a heart’ at its centre.

The design concept reflects a new approach to hostel design and has an emphasis on natural materials. These are complemented by features such as a fig tree at the centre of the main building, sedum grass sown on several roofs, and ‘living walls’ of climbing plants.

View case study →
View article at Building Design Online → (external link)

Ellington School, Ramsgate, Kent
Redevelopment, regeneration, affordable flats and houses.

01.10.2010

Orbit Homes is redeveloping this disused school building and site to generate much needed affordable housing. On completion the development will comprise 28 new homes, made up of 16 one- and two-bedroom flats and 12 four-bedroom houses. It will also house a GP surgery onsite.

This is very much a regeneration scheme in that it has been carefully planned and designed to transform the site, while also integrating with the existing facilities and infrastructure. The emphasis will be on harmonising with the local environment, including the adjacent Grade II listed building. Features of the original Victorian structure will be retained and existing TPO trees will be protected.

Churchill Hui has been commissioned to provide various roles. These include architect, project management and CDM coordinator. This £4.1m Code 4 project is scheduled for completion by February 2011.