INCA Case Study: Church Lane Regeneration Grangetown

Church Lane North is an estate of 291 homes in the Grangetown area of Redcar and Cleveland.  With a history founded in the iron and steel industry, it has felt the effects of industry collapse and retained a deep sense of local pride. In consultation with the residents, Beyond Housing Association are investing £16m to improve the layout and look of the estate, provide new homes, and bring long term voids back into use.

Consultation highlighted areas for improvement, such as extensions to private gardens, increased parking spaces, improved privacy, and better estate navigation. One of the key elements to be addressed, however, was the poor energy performance of existing properties both in terms of their value as an asset to the Housing Association and of the cost of heating for residents.

As part of the wholescale regeneration, Beyond Housing invested to improve the homes of existing customers living on the estate by replacing roofs and adding external wall insulation to 137 homes to improve energy efficiency from Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) D and reduce fuel costs while also improving their visual aesthetic. The EWI treatment and the colour pallet was planned so that treated homes would blend with untreated homes in private ownership and new build properties were planned to reflect the updated look of the existing, rendered homes. The use of clay brick slips and silicone render specified by Wetherby Building Systems Ltd facilitated the delivery of the concept design into reality.

Sarah Hall, Regeneration Manager from Beyond Housing said “we are really pleased with the works and with how the EWI increases the EPC rating and fuel efficiency for households. The treatment significantly changes the look of existing properties which is a key part of the transformation of the estate as a whole.”

Selection – Sykes Specialist Contracting Ltd

Sykes Specialist Contracting Ltd, formed in 2006, were selected for the contract having worked for the Principal Contractor Equans and Beyond Housing on previous contracts to deliver EWI solutions render and cladding.

Graeme Dougherty, Equans Project Manager said,” Sykes were selected on the basis of a long term successful relationship between the two companies and, above all, their ability to deliver quality workmanship together with meeting the demands of the programme and their  ability to upscale at  moment’s notice.”

The Project – Installer Perspective

Sykes Specialist Contracting were involved in the scheme from the inception of the design providing costing and design options, evaluating  EWI  finish options such as brick slips, Hardi plank cladding and silicone render colour options. Each option was then put into a street design with Sykes providing budget costings for each design option.

Finally when the contract was awarded and we started on site it became apparent that with the complex design and street arrangements and with multiple finishes being used on each house type, the work had to be programmed in such a way that all trades could work continuously without creating delay for follow on trades.  In order to ensure a smooth transition, Sykes introduced a working foreman to manage the process and above all ensure the street design arrangements were followed meticulously.

Our labour selection was also critical and having teams that could do both brick slips and pointing together with silicone render and Hardi plank cladding ensured we could deliver the programme of 10 units per week.

Ben Briggs, Project Manager from Beyond Housing said “works were completed on time and to an excellent standard, one of the design philosophies in developing the scheme has been to give the estate the look and feel of a new build estate and we are really pleased that the render and cladding solution used has achieved this.”

The Project – The Success

The EWI has increased the EPC rating of 137 homes on the estate from a low EPC D to C and reduced fuel consumption without causing significant disruption to existing residents. The change in the external look of properties has played a considerable part in the overall transformation of the estate and in the view of residents of the estate.

With a complex design, delivery to tenanted properties and in amongst other works on site and a brief to blend old with new and not embellish the new and refurbishment to the detriment of private owners on the estate, the scheme has truly delivered to the brief.

Sarah Hall, Regeneration Manager from Beyond Housing said ‘’ we have truly transformed our estate of homes which were in desperate need of repair and addressed our aims to improve the thermal performance of the properties and create a modern and vibrant feel and look to the estate. This was  made possible by our team of managers, designers , our Principle Contractor, Equans and above all there team of effective and efficient sub-contractors.’’

Please enjoy an aerial view of the project >>>