Amberstone Road, Hailsham
Location: Hailsham
Client: Clarion Housing
Value: £20.9m
Situated in Hailsham, East Sussex, the development of 110 new homes was secured via a land-led package deal with long-term client the Clarion Housing Group, and brings essential, high-quality homes to the local people. The development delivered a carefully considered mix of contemporary apartments and family-sized homes with 82 properties privately sold and 28 designated for the shared ownership market.
On a former greenfield site, ecology works relocated protected reptiles from the land with contract start further delayed to enable an extensive archaeological dig which created arduous ground conditions once works could commence. Delivered over seven phases the beautifully designed and thoughtfully considered development far exceeds the normal design standards for mixed tenure schemes. The phased manner of construction necessitated careful coordination of site logistics, with safety and considerate construction both of paramount importance to safeguard the new residents in situ. The 110 properties, feature 9 apartments and the remainder are 2/3/4-bedroomed houses of semi-detached and detached arrangement. Of timber frame construction, the homes are completed externally with either render, hung tiles or red or yellow bricks to vary and enhance the appearance of the overall scheme. To help foster the new community environment, Jenner further developed a large play park, enveloped by a wildlife area, a pond and the reptile relocation site.
Situated in a relatively remote location construction was largely straightforward, with the main challenges around the open water surface drainage system and, due to the site’s gently sloping gradient, the ground’s susceptibility to flooding and saturation from the rain. Significant preparatory work was undertaken in the design and pre-construction stages to determine the most suitable drainage system, the delivery and efficacy of which was monitored closely in construction.
Due to the successful relationships established with long-term client Clarion Housing, and which has continued throughout this project, Jenner were subsequently appointed to deliver a further 47 new homes on the adjacent site at Amberstone Nurseries, which has now also completed.
