Royal Arsenal Woolwich wins prestigious award » Housing » 24dash.com

This week developers of the Royal Arsenal Woolwich were awarded the prestigious British Urban Regeneration Association's (BURA) Award for Best Practice in Regeneration for the first phase of the Royal Arsenal Woolwich; the multi-million pound redevelopment of the former Ministry of Defence (MOD) site in south-east London.

The entire development comprises 76-acres of water-front brown-field land and the master plan comprises the refurbishment of former MOD buildings and the development of brand-new housing providing 1,250 new homes including over 600 affordable properties; a gym, museum and a cafe and delicatessen.

The award was presented to Berkeley Homes' (Urban Development) Ltd John Anderson, the Developer of the Royal Arsenal Woolwich and its partners: English Partnerships; Graham Priddle, Southern Housing Group's Area Development Manager, and the London Borough of Greenwich and the London Development Agency.

Dale Meredith, Southern Housing Group's Director of Development, said that the BURA Award is a welcome recognition of the expert regeneration of an important site in the heart of London Thames Gateway.

"Royal Arsenal Woolwich is a stunning example of how a successful integrated community can be achieved on a historic riverside site. Southern Housing Group is very proud of its partnership with Berkeley Homes and the London Borough of Greenwich on this large ex-industrial site and we are very pleased this award has been made as the partnership enters the latest phase of continuing development," he said.

Tony Pidgley, managing director of Berkeley Group said: "we are proud to be honoured by this Best Practice Award from BURA for our work at Royal Arsenal Woolwich. As we have worked on this site for more than a decade we have shared BURA's goal with huge enthusiasm and like BURA, we want to see life brought back to towns throughout Britain, spurring inward investment and higher standards of living.

“We are delighted to receive this award for Royal Arsenal Woolwich, where we have made every effort to enhance the site's substantial heritage and provide the amenities, transport links and economic foundation for an altogether bright future."

BURA said that the Phase 1 of Berkeley's regeneration of Royal Arsenal was selected for an award by BURA for its growing international reputation for best practice.

"The result has been an imaginative renovation of the former MOD site with the sympathetic addition of new buildings in the midst of many listed buildings," said BURA's expert judging panel.

"Not only has the scheme opened-up Woolwich's Thames waterside to public use but it has fostered solid community involvement from the start, with a wide mix of tenure, including 30% affordable homes. The beneficial impact on the town centre has been significant, attracting much needed investment, improving transport links and enabling regeneration of the rest of Woolwich town centre to go forward."

Tony Pidgley adds: "Our regeneration of the historical site has given Royal Arsenal Woolwich a real sense of place, something which we and our customers aspire. This is one of the most significant groupings of Grade I and Grade II listed buildings for residential use, which we have restored working closely with English Heritage.

Royal Arsenal Woolwich is now a vibrant new community which already has around 3,000 residents and it will only grow as a destination as we continue the regeneration of the area."