How Preim's community asset stewardship model is evolving.

Good governance of infrastructure

How Preim's community asset stewardship model is evolving

Preim are one of the UK's leading estates management company

Giving people control over their environment

Creating garden villages – Crest Nicholson

We work with developer Crest Nicholson to realise the garden village vision and are currently involved in four of their developments comprising approximately 7,000 new homes. These developments adopt the garden village ethos, using either a Community Interest Company (CIC) model or Residents Management Company structure.

The idea of the garden village is a holistically planned new community where the design, landscaping, green space and public realm are vital elements of the whole development.

At its heart are well-maintained, high-quality open spaces and a strong community spirit.

The ethos of the garden village model is totally in tune with Preim’s concept of managing property, estates and community assets, bringing communities together and creating places where people want to live, work and visit.

Monksmoor Park

Monksmoor Park is a new community of up to 1000 homes set in countryside just outside Daventry, Northamptonshire. The development borders the Grand Union Canal, Country Park and a reservoir, and over half the development will consist of green spaces, including an extension to the Country Park.

The distinctive character of this new community will be defined by green spaces, including woodland, allotments, ponds and play areas. These amenities will be supported by a strategy for the long-term management and maintenance of the spaces and the promotion of a range of lifestyle choices for residents.

There is already plenty of evidence of the community and the local environment coming together. Rescuing ducklings and unveiling Monksmoor’s very own public piece of art and opening the Daisy View play park are just a few of the recent activities.

Tadpole Garden Village

Tadpole Garden Village is a new mixed-use development on the edge of Swindon, which will provide 1,695 new homes, when complete.

The development has already won national recognition after being named best in the UK for its excellence in achieving ‘a visionary Community Interest Company’ at the 2015 Housebuilder Awards and shortlisted for ‘Outstanding Placemaking’ in the 2017 Sunday Times British Homes Awards. Industry judges held it up as a shining example of how to create and maintain sustainable communities for the future.

Tadpole Garden Village comprises a vast area of common, dedicated to public use, which runs the length of the new community and will include a range of recreation and sporting facilities and activities.

Allotments,  play areas, a new town park and stray, a new area of woodland and a nature park, will be run in partnership with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, and are just some of the features which will link the development to the adjoining countryside.

Kilnwood Vale

Located a few miles from Horsham in West Sussex is Kilnwood Vale. With a tree-lined boulevard as its central spine and lots of green courtyards and corridors, Kilnwood Vale will have 2,500 homes and has been designed in a way that focusses upon being a neighbourly place to live.

Facilities will include a primary school, neighbourhood centre plus library, a health centre and supermarket together with numerous areas of public open spaces that help to make the most of its surrounding countryside.

The first phase of this development comprising 350 homes has already been completed and Preim is working to ensure that the green spaces, play facilities and sustainable urban development’s infrastructure that has been constructed is in great order and well maintained.

Here, Preim’s challenges lie around working with an existing community that already has an established Residents Management Company structure in place and then incorporating the wider newer development. Historically, in these earlier phases of the development, homeowners may or may not have been paying an estate charge. This means that sometimes, we do need to work hard to help change people’s hearts and minds around service delivery and a shared vision of a great new community.

We believe very strongly in the old adage; ‘if the green spaces and other communal amenities look great, people can see what they get for their money’.

Hunts Grove

Similar to the challenges of Kilnwood Vale, Hunts Grove is situated close to the historic village of Hardwicke on the southern edge of Gloucester. When completed Hunts Grove will comprise approximately 2,500 homes, a local centre with retail and community uses, a large employment area, a primary school, sports and play facilities and allotments.

Phase 1 of the development comprising approximately 350 homes has already been completed and the beginnings of a thriving community have been established. Again, Preim will be working with an established Residents Management Company structure to include the wider development as housebuilding progresses and new residents move in.

A feature of Hunts Grove will be lots of natural green spaces; Preim’s role will be to keep these amenities looking great. We will work with residents to integrate the new build with the established areas and build a legacy of which to be proud.

Working closely with Crest Nicholson to deliver its garden village principles at these partially completed developments, Preim will also have full-time grounds maintenance teams in place at both Hunts Grove and Kilnwood Vale.

Preim’s role

As managing agent for these developments, Preim has been involved from the outset.

At many of them, we have appointed our own Community Mobilisers to help people moving onto the developments to get to know their neighbours. As the developments grow, we will provide a continuous site presence.

We will manage the estates in ways that enhance the local ecology, encouraging natural planting, wildlife and sustainable open spaces, while our community engagement programmes ensure that these communal assets become part of ‘village’ life.

We will also administer the residents’ companies that will own and manage the communal assets.

Tadpole Garden Village

 

“Preim combine efficient, cost-effective estate maintenance strategies with a real understanding of our garden village vision.

“They encourage people to use and take pride in shared amenity spaces, which increases their sense of wellbeing, enhances our estate brands, and adds value to the homes we are developing.”

Green spaces are more than an attractive setting for new homes. We encourage residents to get involved in a wide range of activities, based on shared spaces, which suit their individual lifestyles while connecting with other members of the community.

Tadpole green space