Gresham housing scheme wins national awards

An affordable housing development in Middlesbrough has secured two national accolades for its design and focus on creating a family-friendly community.

Thirteen’s 145-home Union Village development in Gresham was named ‘Winner of Winners’ at the Housing Design Awards in London, as well as receiving the ‘Healthy Homes’ award.

Designed by IDPartnership Northern, the scheme features two, three and four-bedroom homes alongside four communal gardens, providing spaces for neighbours to meet and children to play safely.

It was delivered by Thirteen in partnership with Middlesbrough Council, Tees Valley Combined Authority, Homes England and Esh Construction.

Established in 1948 by then Minister for Health Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan, the Housing Design Awards are the UK’s longest-running housing awards.

Presenting the award, Joanna Averley, the country’s chief planner, said: “Across the country we are looking for examples of housing that demonstrate what regeneration can achieve when design quality, social purpose and long-term stewardship come together. Union Village does exactly that.

“This project has created a neighbourhood once again. It shows that regeneration is ultimately about people.

“It is about creating places where children can play safely, where neighbours know one another, where residents feel proud of where they live, and where public investment builds confidence in a community’s future.

“The judges felt that Union Village stood apart because it demonstrates the transformative power of good housing at a neighbourhood scale in an area where viability and decline of the fabric of the town made this seem impossible.”

The recognition marks another milestone in the regeneration of a site where redevelopment has been more than two decades in the making.

Earlier plans for the wider Gresham area saw hundreds of terraced homes demolished, but progress stalled after government funding was withdrawn in 2010.

Large areas of land subsequently remained derelict as efforts to secure new investment continued.

Thirteen and Middlesbrough Council later brought forward plans for Union Village, securing backing from Homes England and Tees Valley Combined Authority to help turn the long-running regeneration ambitions into reality.

Sharon Thomas, Thirteen’s chief investment and property officer, added: “Union Village is an example of how regeneration, when it’s done properly and when it’s done well, is a marathon and not a sprint.

“And successful regeneration isn't just about bricks and mortar – it’s about the people, the community and tackling some of the long-standing social and economic issues.

“One of the key parts of our strategy was to make sure we got families to come back to live in the area.

“Key to that was the families feeling like they could let the kids play out – that’s where the idea to incorporate communal gardens came from.

“The fact we’ve created a community with spaces where kids can play out, feel safe and thrive is just the best part of this.

“And it means that we’re giving the kids who live here the childhoods that they deserve and that every child should have.”

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