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The catalyst effect
During the last 10 years the West End area of Morecambe has benefited from council designation as a housing renewal area, with significant investment being made to improve the existing housing. Despite these improvements, the area still suffers from a complex set of social issues. These include a transient population, high levels of multiple deprivation and benefit dependency.
A key aspect of the Morecambe Resort Action Plan highlighted the need to regenerate the residential area of the West End, to support tourism and the town centre of Morecambe. The Action Plan recognised that due to a poor perception of the area and the lack of sites available for development, significant investment by the private sector would not take place without support from the public sector.
Working with Lancaster City Council, the project objective was to attract a new population of families and aspiring single people or couples to create a more balanced and sustainable community. We hope that by increasing the quality of homes through good design and place-making it will act as a catalyst for further regeneration, changing perceptions of, and raising the aspirations of, the local community.
Phase One of the Plan has begun. In partnership with Lancaster City Council, we have now started working with Places for People and Peter Barber Architects to turn this vision into a reality at Chatsworth Gardens.
The innovative solution to this seaside location works with the existing street network and tackles the sometimes difficult interaction between public and private space by taking most of the private space to roof terraces and creating a block pattern of single aspect homes. Nearly all properties have a private courtyard that includes services, refuse storage and cycle parking. All homes have an allocated on-street parking space, while two ‘pocket’ parks create a community focus and promote social interaction.
The proposed 1.06 ha scheme provides 101 homes of different types. The buildings are generally two-storey with three-storey elements on the busier streets and a single five-storey home acting as a landmark. Several of the properties are proposed as duplex live-work units. All homes will achieve English Partnerships’ Quality Standards clearly indicating that high density does not necessitate high-rise.
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