Yorkon News Archives

18/04/2002 – Pioneering affordable housing scheme in York completed

The first factory-built multi-storey affordable housing scheme outside London has been completed in York. Developed by the Yorkshire Housing Group in partnership with City of York Council, the Sixth Avenue Apartments were manufactured in York by Portakabin subsidiary, Yorkon, and designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects. The homes will be managed by Ryedale Housing Association, a member of the Yorkshire Housing Group.

The apartments were craned onto pre-prepared foundations on a brownfield site in just a few days, complete with bathrooms, kitchens, plumbing, heating, doors and windows.

By employing a more innovative approach to construction and a partnering arrangement, the development programme for the Sixth Avenue Apartments has been reduced by around 15 months, helping to address the serious shortfall in the number of affordable homes in York. City of York Council currently has 4,500 households on their housing waiting list.

The four-storey £2m development comprises 24 high quality apartments providing a mix of 3, 2 and 1 bedroom homes. The apartments will have a mixed community of families, single people, couples and the elderly. The exterior is finished in western red cedar and terracotta cladding, and each apartment has the benefit of a generous timber-decked balcony or private garden area. There is also a secure landscaped courtyard with BBQ area, cycle storage facility and car parking.

Peter Atkinson, Group Property Director of Yorkshire Housing, said, "Yorkshire Housing is keen to seek innovative and positive housing solutions such as this, as part of a diverse yet balanced development programme. In this case, we have worked well with our partners to deliver a bold and attractive scheme that will help meet the housing needs of York."

Councillor Viv Kind, City of York Council's executive member for housing, said, "The completion of this development is a landmark for the city in terms of speed of construction, convenience to site neighbours and our commitment to ensuring that it creates an inclusive, mixed, new community. We are confident the development will provide excellent affordable homes for local people with long term benefits arising out of the innovative construction process which has also involved local labour."

"The challenge was to demonstrate innovation in construction by combining the benefits of building off-site, a genuine partnership approach and contemporary architectural design", said Keith Blanshard, Director and General Manager of Yorkon. "The result is the delivery of 24 new high quality affordable homes for the people of York in significantly less time, and with much less disruption to the local community."

James Pickard, Project Director of Cartwright Pickard Architects, said, "Our aim was to create a community of attractive, spacious homes, which give residents the benefit of low running costs and features such as a sunny and secure landscaped courtyard. The exterior is designed to reflect the more innovative nature of the building's construction. It uses new and interesting alternatives to conventional brickwork that enhance the building's appearance and were faster to install."

For further information on the pioneering Sixth Avenue Apartments project, visit www.yorkon.com/sixthavenue. The website features an archive of photographs of the scheme's construction and two webcams.

Editors' Notes

1. Modular construction involves the manufacture and fitting out of a building in a controlled factory environment, while the foundations are progressed on site. The modules are delivered to site by road where they are craned into position. The benefits include:

work on site is safer, quieter and cleaner
programme times are reduced by up to 50 per cent
costs are controlled
quality is guaranteed
disruption to the local community is minimised
earlier occupation is possible
construction is not affected by adverse weather conditions.

2. 48 11-tonne steel-framed modules were manufactured by Yorkon for the Sixth Avenue scheme. These were craned into position in just a few days in preparation for installation of the red cedar cladding, the timber-decked balconies and the lift and stair tower.

3. Photographs and video footage of the modules in manufacture and being craned into position are available on request from Joanne Bridges, tel: 01423 542680.

4. The Sixth Avenue Apartments project uses the highly successful, award-winning Yorkon/Cartwright Pickard team who were responsible for the acclaimed Murray Grove housing scheme in London.

5. The tenants for Sixth Avenue have been identified by City of York Council and Yorkshire Housing from people who have chosen to live in the scheme and who have a housing need.

6. There is a major shortage of affordable housing in York. The average house price in the city is £105,000, which would require income of £30,000 pa in order to obtain a mortgage.

7. For further information about Yorkshire Housing, visit www.yorkshirehousing.co.uk