In furtherance of the Lion Farm Estate’s development, UDBS and contractor Lovell are currently engaged in refurbishment works on the low-rise housing blocks — Windermere, Derwent, Coniston, Ullswater, and Rydal — as part of the Housing Budget. Valued at approximately £11 million, this project aims to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of the estate.
Our initiative seeks to rejuvenate the residential buildings by adding 4 new flats and renovating the existing low-rise blocks. The refurbishment will include the addition of a new floor to each block, creating 4 additional adaptable standard flats per block, along with new lifts, exterior finishes, refurbished flats, and improved landscaping and parking amenities.
The proposed enhancements will feature upgraded ventilation systems in all existing flats to enhance internal environments for tenants, along with improvements in thermal efficiency, window and door replacements, and upgrades to 60 existing flats within the low-rise blocks.
Additionally, the redevelopment will also encompass the refurbishment of the flats and shops block on Hartlebury Road, completing the Lion Farm site’s overall transformation and unifying all housing blocks.
Executing work within occupied flats was a key aspect of our project, requiring careful planning and coordination to minimize resident disruptions. We prioritized clear communication with tenants, tailored work schedules to accommodate their needs, and implemented measures to mitigate noise and dust to successfully carry out construction activities on site.
An important highlight of this project is the focus on design coherence. It was imperative to ensure that the low-rise components seamlessly integrated with the newly constructed high-rise flats on the Lion Farm Estate, necessitating the incorporation of similar architectural elements and materials to maintain a unified aesthetic throughout the development.
Construction work is currently on site, with an anticipated completion date of summer 2025.
UDBS has overseen the MDT design services from stages 2–5 and will continue to manage the project throughout construction until its culmination.