Papworth Trust Strikes Gold at Housing 'Oscars' » Housing » 24dash.com

Disability charity the Papworth Trust has struck gold in the Housing Oscars.

The Foundations for Living project in Huntingdon has won the prestigious Housing Corporation’s Gold Award for Building Cohesive Communities. The landmark project supports disabled people to live independently.

Tenant Bruce Wall has seen his life transformed thanks to Foundations for Living. Bruce, who uses a wheelchair following a motorbike crash, said: “I’ve now got my own front door for the first time since my accident and I’ve gone from living in a residential care home in a rural area through to living independently. I am able to go into town for coffee and look around the shops and also to visit Sainsbury’s as they are only 5 minutes away. It’s brilliant.”

Foundations for Living includes three things:
- 24 affordable rented wheelchair accessible properties
- 22 private flats
- The Saxongate Community Learning Centre, an inspiring and fully accessible space for disabled and non-disabled people including businesses, community groups and Huntingdon Regional College. It's hosted everything from belly dancing to a visit by David Cameron.

By working in partnership with Hill Residential, a commercial developer, the Papworth Trust was able to create a scheme that fully integrates affordable accessible homes with private flats.

The £7.5 million project started in 2001 as a response to local need and national policy. Through consultation the Papworth Trust found that many disabled people were keen for an opportunity to live in an urban location with better access to shops, community facilities, volunteering and employment opportunities. As a result - Foundations for Living took shape.

Foundations for Living is the first project in the UK to prove how a number of key mainstream services can be developed to be fully inclusive for disabled people across housing, support, employment, education and community integration.

The Papworth Trust, which employs 300 people in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Essex, has launched a microsite to highlight the success of the project. http://www.papworth.org.uk/goldaward/index.php

Adrian Bagg, Chief Executive, Papworth Trust said: “We’re delighted to win a Gold Award and we’ll continue to champion the need for greater provision of wheelchair accessible housing, to develop good design practice and to develop innovative schemes – like Foundations for Living. The Foundations for Living project demonstrates what can be achieved and illustrates how developing inclusive communities goes beyond accessibility and includes the way services are delivered and attitudes changed.”

Nick Parkinson, Design Director of Hill Residential (and architect for the scheme) – said: “The joint approach between Hill Residential, a private developer, and Papworth Trust has delivered a really successful project that proves the value of public/private collaboration to deliver exemplar projects for all the community.”

“Working with incoming residents and the Papworth Trust challenged us as designers to create a really accessible development. We have learnt a lot – not least that incorporating specific requirements for Papworth Trust can deliver better buildings for everyone.”

Despite a huge programme of house building it is estimated that by 2020 still only 12% of housing stock will meet part M, let alone higher levels of accessibility, and that there is a need for a further 371,000 accessible homes in the UK. The success of Foundations for Living has inspired the Papworth Trust to develop a ‘Guide to Developing Inclusive Communities’.

Sir Duncan Michael, Chairman of the judging panel said:" Congratulations to Papworth Trust for securing this prestigious national housing award for building sustainable communities.

"Their Foundations for Living project is an inspiring example of a scheme which allows disabled people to live independently in an inclusive mixed tenure development and has made them a worthy Gold Award winner."