Author: Matt Tobin

Work to build new homes on part of Kingsmead Field is due to start later this year.

The news comes after Canterbury City Council announced the appointment of Canterbury-based builders Coombs to carry out the project, which gained planning permission this time last year.

The scheme will see 16 homes built in a mix of sizes and types of accommodation with five of them being affordable and destined for families from the council’s housing waiting list. The remaining 11 will be sold on the open market.

Chairman of the council’s Regeneration and Property Committee, Cllr Rachel Carnac, said: “It will be fantastic to see workers on the ground ready to build homes that will make a real difference to families on our waiting list.

“This scheme heralds a new way of doing things for the council – building homes ourselves rather than handing the land over to a developer.

“We hope it will be a real success and one we can repeat elsewhere.”

The new homes will be built on a section of Kingsmead Field close to the existing Kingsbrook Park development. Originally, the council had plans to build on the whole field, which led to a campaign by residents to prevent any development at all.

But following discussions with the Friends of Kingsmead Field group, a compromise was reached that sees only 20 per cent built on, with the council seeking to have the remaining 80 per cent of the field classified a Village Green.

Village Green status protects the land from being developed and is one of the highest protections available in the country. An application has been made to Kent County Council.

Cllr Carnac said: “We really appreciate the support of the Friends of Kingsmead Field with this project and thank them for all the hard work they put in to make this corner of the city an oasis of natural beauty.”

Coombs has been operating in the southeast for more than 40 years and prides itself on the amount of repeat business it wins.

Managing Director, John Healey, said: “We are really looking forward to working with the council on such an exciting project, which will create a blueprint for the delivery of housing in the district going into the future.

“As a Canterbury-based company, our local staff are excited to build yet another high-quality project for their community.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the team at Canterbury City Council and our architect Clague, as we bring this high-quality development to life.”

The 2020 Regional Finalists have been revealed for the Civic Trust Awards, Pro-Tem Awards, AABC Conservation Awards and Selwyn Goldsmith Awards for Universal Design.

The Coombs constructed Daphne Oram Creative Arts Building for Canterbury Christ Church University is one of 19 finalists from the South East region. In total 115 projects have been selected from all national and international entries following the first stage assessment process.

The Regional Finalists will now be reviewed by the Civic Trust Awards and AABC National Panels who will consider them for a National / International Award or Commendation. The SGA Judging Panel will also meet to consider the quality of universal design standards by the assessor nominated regional projects in order to determine the SGA winners.

Winning schemes will be presented with their Civic Trust Award or Commendation at the 61st Annual Civic Trust Awards Ceremony. This will be held on Friday 6th March 2020, at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.

Award winning projects will also be considered for the Civic Trust’s Special Awards; given to schemes which demonstrate excellence in either sustainability, community impact & engagement and the National Panel Special Award, selected by National Panel Members as their favourite scheme.

Best Apprentice, Best Construction Project and Best Construction Contractor categories all recognise Coombs

We’re excited to be the only contractor shortlisted in 3 different categories at the upcoming South East Construction Awards. The Awards were established to celebrate the region’s heroes in the industry. The categories Coombs are in the running for are:

Best Construction Contractor

Celebrating the region’s most outstanding main contractors, who have carried out exemplary projects in the commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure sub-sectors, and who have demonstrated the highest levels of innovation, quality of work, sustainability, health and safety and well-being, training and development of people.

Best Apprentice

Recognising those apprentices  who stand out from the crowd with outstanding achievements and have demonstrated excellent promise, commitment and initiative. Louis Clarke, is one of three shortlisted for Best Apprentice. He was nominated due to his impressive approach to learning. From the moment we interviewed Louis, his enthusiasm was clear to see. We’re thrilled he’s being recognised at these awards.

Best Construction Project

Celebrating the region’s most outstanding new construction projects and recognising the teams involved for their high standard of work, client satisfaction and budget control in a safe and healthy working environment.The Sunshine Café, Dreamland has once again received industry recognition, being one of five projects shortlisted in this category.

Winners will be announced as part of South East Construction Expo 2019, to be held at the South of England Event Centre in Ardingly on 26th September. Last year’s hugely successful event saw over 2,000 leaders from the region’s construction industry network and sample the industry’s latest technology.

This year’s trade show is bigger and better than ever. It is a ‘must visit’ for anyone in development, property and construction.

Located in the heart of Faversham and already enjoyed on a daily basis by many in the local community, Faversham Recreation Ground is set to get even better.

Established over 150 years ago, the 20-acre site is one of Swale’s most significant heritage parks. Our project to restore historical features and improve facilities is part of the Parks for People improvement project.

Parks for People is a joint Heritage Fund and Big Lottery Fund programme which aims to protect and enhance historic parks, helping to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy these important public open spaces.

The Heritage Fund announced in July 2018 that the project had been awarded £1.6m for an ambitious, heritage-led, regeneration scheme of more than £1.9m that will restore many of the park’s historic features, and improvements to facilities.

The aim of the project at Faversham Recreation Ground is to ensure that this heritage is protected and that people have more opportunities to visit, understand and be involved with the park and learn about its history. Improvement works will create a park local people can be proud of whilst breathing new life into well used historic buildings. Improvements and activities include:

• Refurbishment of listed features (including the former Gardeners Lodge and Loggias) as well as the main changing pavilion.
• Restoration of original wrought iron gates and boundary fencing.
• Reinstatement of areas of historical planting and paths.

Working with Swale Borough Council, the Heritage Fund,  Wynne-Williams Associates and Purcell, this project will make sure the park continues to be enjoyed for generations to come.