Housing awards recognise local regeneration efforts

North Hampshire’s biggest landlord recently received national recognition for Basingstoke’s £100m programme to redevelop the borough’s less prosperous estates.

Sentinel Housing Association was named a runner-up at the prestigious UK Housing Awards 2008, for its work in regenerating five neighbourhoods.

Basingstoke beat off competition from much larger urban regeneration projects in London, Manchester and Birmingham to make it to the last five, reflecting the outstanding results achieved in neighbourhoods as diverse as the £24m rural revamp of Bishops Green and the £40m Oakridge project.

Chief Executive Martin Nurse said afterwards: “We’re delighted to receive recognition for our long track record on reinvigorating communities. These projects are incredibly complex and time-consuming, but are well worth it when you see the transformation at the end.”

In the latest £24m project, Sentinel is demolishing 99 outdated houses at Bishops Green, Newbury, and replacing with 148 new high quality homes for rent, shared ownership, and sale.

Simultaneously, a £15m project in and around Longfellow Parade, Popley, has reached the halfway point, with 99 new homes and three new shops for nearby Shakespeare Road.

Recently, borough councillors decided to give the go-ahead to Sentinel’s £40m project to replace 140 maisonettes at Faroe Close and Maldive Road, Popley, with 237 new family homes and apartments centred on a new park.

Martin Nurse added: “It’s only with the support of councillors that we’ve been able to get this far. We hope that continues, so that the people of old Popley can enjoy the same quality of life as those living in the newer developments nearby. This project will ultimately benefit the whole of Basingstoke for years to come.”