Sawyers Close residents and neighbours can now enjoy a brand new play area and community space as part of the major regeneration taking part at the Windsor development.
Local Ward Councillors Alison Carpenter and Helen Price today joined Dasos Christou, Abri’s Regional Managing Director (South East) and Doug Wood, Contracts Manager at The Hill Group to welcome local children and officially open the new play area and community space.
The play area is kitted out with new equipment including a tyre swing and slides, with lots of activities planned in the new community space including coffee afternoons, pilates sessions with Maidenhead magpies, art workshops, energy efficient cooking and Community Fridge pop ups.
Councillor Helen Price said: “It's so important to provide community spaces for our local residents where they can get to know each other and take part in activities together. Opening up the play area and community space to all gives people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to do this.”
Councillor Alison Carpenter added: “Regenerating Sawyers Close is not just about providing people with a decent home to live in, it's about installing a real sense of community as well. These facilities being opened today by Abri, supported by Hill, are designed to help achieve this.”
The opening of the play area and community space follows the recent approval of planning consent for the redevelopment by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Housing provider Abri and construction partner The Hill Group, are moving on apace with the redevelopment, which will secure 413 high-quality affordable new homes for the local community. It will feature nine new apartment buildings ranging from five to eight storeys as well as seven rows of townhouses. Construction will involve the demolition of the existing Sawyers Close accommodation which currently consists of four eight-storey blocks of flats.
Dasos Christou, Regional Managing Director (South east), for Abri said:
“Making sure Abri’s customers and neighbours have great community facilities to enjoy at Sawyers Close is fundamental to our redevelopment.
“Being able to enjoy outdoor and social facilities is crucial for people’s mental and physical wellbeing, which is why I am delighted to be here today opening the play area and community space with our construction partner Hill. It’s also given me the opportunity to meet some local residents and thank local ward councillors Helen Price and Alison Carpenter for their important ongoing support for the Sawyers Close regeneration.”
Doug Wood, Contracts Manager at The Hill Group said: “It is a pleasure to be here today, handing over this new community space, which will serve residents until later in the build project when a new larger centre will be created. We have been able to utilise three of our modular homes to create the temporary structure - designed using modern methods of construction - and I am confident that the community will have many hours of fun using this space.
“We are thrilled to be working with our partner Abri on this project, which will see the creation of high-quality and energy-efficient homes for the residents at Sawyers Close.”
Abri and Hill have also created plans to include a cycle hub, additional community space and provision for a car club alongside comprehensive high quality hard and soft landscaping. Several infrastructure investments will be implemented including a new access point from Smiths Lane, and drainage and flooding mitigation works. Residents at Sawyers Close who have been fully consulted as part of the new proposals will also benefit from a range of modern features including electric vehicle charging points.
Construction is set to commence on site in early 2025, with the first new homes expected in 2026.