L&Q Development Rubicon wins award for ‘Excellence in Affordable Housing Delivery’

The London Planning Awards were organised by London First, the Mayor of London and the RTPI and took place at City Hall on the 15th January 2008. There were 7 categories in total which were introduced by the Mayor, Ken Livingston, and presented by the Deputy Mayor, Nicky Gavron.

The Rubicon development in Greenwich won the ‘Excellence in Affordable Housing Delivery’ category, which was sponsored by the Housing Corporation. This was a new category for 2007, open to developers, social housing providers or planning authorities who have helped to deliver affordable housing with particular attention to:

1. the size and tenure mix
2. integration within wider development schemes
3. good quality design
4. provision of family accommodation
5. early discussion with social landlords

Rubicon is situated in the heart of Greenwich on the site of the former New Haddo estate. London & Quadrant Housing Trust won an open regeneration competition run by Greenwich Council in 2000. The regeneration is a joint project involving L&Q, Tower, the London Borough of Greenwich, Bellway Homes and Stock Woolstencroft.

Rubicon is one of Greenwich’s major regeneration flagships, consisting of the redevelopment of an entire 2.7 hectare site at its core. When completed later in 2008, Rubicon will not only have more than doubled capacity, but also created a sustainable community by providing a diverse tenure mix. The previous 203 poor quality units will be replaced with 510 homes: houses, flats and maisonettes; including a range of adapted homes for the disabled.
Foreshadowing the Mayor’s strategic housing targets, 256 units are for sale and 254 are affordable, with two thirds of the affordable housing for rent and one third for shared ownership/intermediate market rent. The affordable housing integrates seamlessly with the development as a whole. Different tenured accommodation is mixed within the same building and the design treatment is consistent across all tenures.
Working with architects Stock Woolstencroft, generous room sizes are incorporated and all properties meet Lifetime Home, enabling future adaptability.
David Gannicott, Group Director for L&Q South East attended the ceremony and said that the award is “a real celebration of the joint efforts by Bellways, the London Borough of Greenwich, Stock Woolstencroft and Tower. The Rubicon development is a testament to the many years of hard work by all of these organisations and the results speak for themselves. We are proud to be a part of such a high quality development.”

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