Gardner Road, Christchurch

227 Barrack Road was a fine example of a detached Victorian house that had seen a century of use culminating in a less auspicious role as bedsits for local individuals on low incomes.

With help from Simon Morgan at www.morgandesignstudio.co.uk we were able to redevelop the site to create ten new one and two bed apartments. The new building satisfied the planning authority’s desire to maintain the traditional character of this historic area. At the same we were able to agree a viable solution to meet the owners’ need to secure a sale that allowed them and their adult children to move on to more appropriate housing.

We acquired the house in 2008, subject to the grant of detailed planning consent. Once planning was approved, we allowed the owners as much time as they needed to continue living there, whilst they secured their new homes.

As a company developing bespoke housing in Christchurch and Bournemouth, we pride ourselves on being able to offer flexible personalised arrangements for land owners, whether through delayed purchases or joint ventures, that many larger firms cannot deliver.

With the financial restrictions arising from 2008’s recession, we decided to hold the property as an investment until 2012 building on our close working relationship with Christchurch Borough Council. Eventually, when the economic storm had passed, we started construction in partnership once again with Glossbrook Builders.

Marketed under the name of Pi, which equals 22/7, all of the homes were built and sold within eighteen months.