Since our last post in September,(see below) we now in a position to update on our Almshouse project. We are delighted to announce the planning application has been submitted. The link to the numerous documents is here.
For the project to have reached this point, many hours of work have been spent listening to advice, feedback and ideas and honing the details. The Trustees and their professional team have had to work collaboratively in order to get this far, and whilst it is certain further questions will be raised by the planners, the Trustees feel they have submitted a good, well considered scheme. More recently project managers have been appointed to help and advise and have already had an impact on the planning submission.
The next steps will be equally busy as we take further advice, consider detailed design, prepare to apply for significant grants from Homes England and other sources, whilst still ensuring all our beneficiaries' needs are met. As the project proceeds, we will provide further updates.
We are grateful for the support from our local district councillors and Berkswell Parish Council.
September 2024 New Almshouses update
Berkswell Charities has a long-held ambition to build new almshouses. The creation of additional almshouses for the benefit of those in need of affordable rented accommodation in the Parish of Berkswell and surrounding area will realise this ambition. Whenever there is a vacancy in one of our existing fourteen almshouses in Berkswell and Burton Green, we typically have up to 20 applicants.
Almshouses offer residents hope and friendships flourish. Almshouses are a community of good neighbours run by local volunteers. They are not just a house but a home.
The proposed development consists of thirty-seven new single storey almshouses sited on land we already own at the top of Red Lane in Burton Green in the Parish of Berkswell. The design incorporates courtyards in the traditional almshouse style. The development will be sensitively landscaped and enhance the biodiversity of the area. In one corner of the site there will be an accessible public open space.
We have commenced preliminary work on the project and although it is a lengthy process, we are encouraged by a positive response early in 2024 to our pre application for the proposed 37 new almshouses from Solihull Metropolitan District Council.
We have held consultations and discussions with Berkswell and Burton Green Parish Councils, Ward Councillors, and our beneficiaries. Our existing almshouse residents have provided valuable input to the design A public meeting was held in the Burton Green Village Hall on 4th September 2024.
We have engaged a raft of professional consultants - architects, planners, and quantity surveyors to design and develop the project. Sophisticated computer modelling software is being used and the results evaluated to ensure that the project, both the capital cost and the ongoing day to day running costs, is sound and financially viable. Our aim is to achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions with the use of solar panels and heat pumps.
If we receive planning consent, the project will be financed by grant funding from Homes England, a bank loan on preferential terms, a contribution from the sale of a small number of our commercial properties and donations from other organisations and individuals. The project will be self-financing and will not impact on our other charitable objects.