Stoneyhall Estate

This 1950s Stevenage Borough Council estate was experiencing anti-social behaviour and in 2004 the local council requested regeneration proposals from 4 registered social landlords. William Sutton Homes (WSH) commissioned Avebury to act as architects and project managers to co-ordinate the bid; we designed a redevelopment scheme deliverable with a one-move option for all residents. The scheme consists of 140 affordable houses and flats, and 44 apartments for private sale.

In addition to the conventional project management role, Avebury undertook the wider task of chairing the project team which included WSH, the architect, cost consultant, constructor and solicitors. Avebury also represented the client to negotiate the Development Agreement and land transfer details with the Council. A portion of the site was to be sold to achieve cross subsidy into the 140 affordable units and Avebury managed the tendering and disposal of this land to Crest Homes (South) Ltd.

Originally intended to be completed in 4 phases of affordable, plus the outright sale as Phase 5, careful management by Avebury of both the construction process and design enabled this to be reduced to 3 phases of affordable. Final handovers were achieved in February 2009, a year earlier than originally planned.

Throughout the process, Avebury was key to the project, working with the Council, client and end-users which has continued as we have fulfilled our roles as architects and project managers through the construction of the new homes. This is a clear example of the integrated skills of Avebury combining to produce an outstanding result for the residents of the estate, the client and all other stakeholders.

The scheme achieved Secured by Design (SBD) Gold certification, and a review of the regeneration project in 2022 found that between 1st of June 2018 & 31st of May 2022 there was only one attempted burglary on the estate.