5 Innovative housing developments in the South Coast region
There is something of a housing crisis in the south of England. Property choices are lacking in the larger, less affluent towns and cities. And affordable housing is desperately needed in many rural areas.
Developers aren't slacking, though. There are plenty of projects in the planning and early execution stages, with modest housing developments cropping up throughout the region. The future, however, lies at the more innovative end. Creativity, sustainability, technology, eco-friendliness, future-proofing... these are the watchwords of modern and ambitious property developers.
With those words in mind, let's take a look at a handful of the most innovative housing development projects currently underway in the South Coast region...
1, Welborne - Fareham, Hampshire
6,000 homes, more than 200 hectares of parks and woodland,27 acres of sporting facilities, four schools, 20 nurseries, 13 playgrounds, 100,000 sq ft of retail space, and over a million sq. ft. of business space. Sounds a lot? Well, perhaps. But then Welborne is an ambitious project. It has to be, it's effectively seeing an entire village being built from scratch.
A green, environmentally-friendly development, the company behind the project explain it like this: "We are building a place in which people will still want to live, one hundred years from now. Then, now and every year in between."
The scale and scope of the development is such that Welborne will even have its own railway station.
2, Branstone Farm - Isle of Wight
Branstone Homes, a project set up to create affordable homes for Isle of Wight locals, is set to be 'a holistically planned and liveable community set around green open space that provides a beautiful mix of residential property.'
The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership awarded the local council £2.4 million under the government’s 'Getting Building Fund'. The cash injection will help regenerate the Branstone Farm site near Arreton with '42 affordable homes, light commercial units, a home for the Biosphere project and community gardens and orchards'.
The development will be in 2 phases. The first began way back in February 2021, with the second phase starting this year. Completion is due by March 2023.
3, Crowdhill Green - Fair Oak, Hampshire
A forward-thinking new development of up to 330 new homes called Crowdhill Green is another one to watch out for. Built on the edge of Fair Oak near Eastleigh in Hampshire. With a heavy focus on sustainability, the project is hoping to be awarded a BREEAM Communities ‘Excellent’ rating.
Created by Bloor homes, there will be a mix of one to five-bedroomed new homes, with an affordable housing allocation as part of the development. A new scouts facility for the local community is also being build in the centre of the site.
4, Lovedon Fields - Kings Worthy, Winchester
40% of the dwellings at this development are to be affordable and shared ownership, with apartments, terraces and detached houses in the mix. Many are to be created using timber frame structures, with green public spaces a central tenant of the project.
Streets will be built around a triangular green, with two thirds of the site conceived as 'a wildflower meadow with integrated landscaping including mixed native hedging'.
5, Royal Pavilion - Poundbury
Using the past for inspiration and calling it innovative is a rather odd concept to consider. Yet when you see the architectural majesty of Dorchester's Royal Pavilion, you're forced to reconsider that stance. This collection of 20 purely luxurious high-end apartments really are a thing to behold.
The developers explain the project like this: 'From the classical stone colonnade to the spacious private terraces created for enjoying sumptuous views, every apartment for sale is beautifully presented throughout and has been individually designed to provide a gracious scale of living combined with the latest technology.'
They're all gorgeous, but the best apartments are - of course - the penthouses. Which 'feature the latest luxuries expected from such a property, including open plan living, walk-in wardrobes, 3 bedrooms each with en suite and two spacious balconies to enjoy glorious countryside views from the top.'
READ MORE: 4 interesting new sustainable developments on the South Coast
