Long-term Stewardship
When customers buy one of our homes they are joining a community. For a community to successfully sustain itself in the long term it requires an effective and affordable management structure which will maintain the built form and public realm and support any related socio-economic initiatives and facilities.
In the past most developments would have established a management company for each phase, and the public areas and infrastructure would have been adopted by the local authority with a contribution from the developer.
The move to higher density developments and a changing tenure mix, coupled with changes in regulation and planning demands new management models. Public adoption in many districts has become expensive and difficult and with the weakened economy set to bring further restrictions on local authority spending it can be anticipated that this situation will only get worse.
The challenges of delivering quality places that are affordable
Developments need a critical mass of dwellings to support a fair and sustainable service charge for the residents. The more bespoke the management company structure, the more expensive they become which can manifest itself as tension throughout the development process.
The industry and public agencies must find solutions to keep service charges at an affordable level, which is particularly challenging for affordable housing.
The low carbon agenda brings a further level of complexity with increasing demands for bespoke energy services solutions, along with requirements for Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) with a more complex infrastructure and the introduction of community wide intranets. All these facets of development bring significant challenges for long term management and maintenance.
Small infill developments have insufficient critical mass for a bespoke management structure. However on larger schemes involving public sector partners the ongoing management can become extremely complex and costly. The delivery of these activities in a cost effective manner will require a creative and joined up approach that is locally based and able to be proactive in meeting the present and changing needs of the Community. This approach will often require the establishment and ongoing financing of a Sustainable Management Organisation.
A Sustainable Management Organisation (SMO) is an organisation that will bring together the interests of residents, local businesses and engage with other local stakeholders and public bodies in the area (see figure below).
Seeking fair solutions for shared management obligations at Bath Western Riverside
Set in a UNESCO Heritage City, BWR is a major regeneration project of 2,281 dwellings including 25% affordable, up to 675 student rooms, a range of shops, restaurants and other facilities, community uses including GP surgery, a primary school, public parks and formal gardens. The development incorporates on-site energy generation, a recycling system for the residents and a carefully landscaped riverside park which doubles as flood protection with SUDs being used throughout.
As is essential, Crest Nicholson have proposed a carefully thought out proactive approach to long-term management - but this comes at a price. While recognising the fairness of contributing to the maintenance of their immediate shared areas, homeowners do not want to pay for shared services which they believe should be publicly funded – such as the river wall. This type of tension will become more evident as local authority finances tighten, and is a focus for engagement by Crest Nicholson to develop a robust solution which is accepted as fair to all.
Supporting Community Energy Services at One Brighton
One Brighton forms part of the New England Quarter mixed use regeneration of Brighton city centre. It is a pioneering development of 172 units, 54 of which are affordable housing along with 2,063m2 of community, commercial and services space. The site has been developed by Crest Nicholson with JV partners BioRegional Quintain in accordance with the 10 'One Planet Living' principles, including achieving zero CO2 emissions.
The building fabric is highly insulated to minimise heat losses and all space heating and hot water is provided through an on-site biomass boiler utilising local woodchips. The boiler forms part of a district heating system which is operated by OneBrighton Energy Services Company (ESCO), a subsidiary of the management company which will become wholly owned by the residents. Crest Nicholson BioRegional Quintain have secured funding from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme and provided additional seed funding to the ESCO.
The electricity generated on-site is supplied over a private network which means third parties are unable to access the network and sell electricity. This is a pioneering model which empowers local people to take control of their energy supply. For the residents, this solution will reduce their carbon footprint whilst reducing the whole life costs of heating and lighting their home.
Community regeneration - a fair solution at Attwood Green
Attwood Green is a complex £300m estate renewal scheme in the heart of Birmingham. It was essential if the social and physical stigma of the past was to be overcome that the new buildings, public realm and communal areas were to be subject to a responsive and high quality Estate Management and maintenance regime.
Working in partnership with Optima Community Association, Crest Nicholson has been instrumental in establishing the Attwood Green Estate Management Services Company (AGES), a wholly owned subsidiary of Optima which retains the freeholds, administers the Estate management functions and regulates the good neighbour leasehold obligations which have been unified across all tenures.
The Community Association has lively and committed local participation, with tenant representatives on the Board of AGES. Policies such as no tolerance on graffiti are enforced and ensure that communal and public areas are maintained to a high standard for the enjoyment of residents. To keep the service charges at an affordable level the City Council agreed to take on maintenance of the new central parkland.
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