Sustainable development, efficiency and heritage are all incredibly important to us, which is why we’re so proud to have built many of our developments on land that used to have a different purpose.
Breathing new life into areas across the country, our programme of selecting locations always includes thinking about how we can honour the heritage of a place, and make sure we’re building a true community.
Urban regeneration and redevelopment in general are big parts of our process. Learn more about how we’re rejuvenating locations across England and Wales, and get to know a bit more about what we call the Redrow Difference.
What is Earth Day ?
Earth Day first began on the 22nd of April 1970, and is now celebrated in over 192 countries. It’s a time to advocate for and drive awareness of the importance of conservation and sustainability.
Conservation is at the core of our construction work and development plans at Redrow, ensuring green spaces, nature, and wildlife habitats are not only protected, but enhanced as part of our biodiversity values and rules.
So, what is urban regeneration?
Urban regeneration is a transformative process that revives our cities and towns, creating vibrant communities and fostering economic growth. It involves revitalising neglected or underutilised areas (or areas that have outlived their previous function). This regeneration is paving the way for new developments that provide new homes in in-demand areas and enhance the overall quality of life for residents.
In the UK, urban regeneration has become a crucial part of maintaining and revitalising our towns and cities, as housebuilders rise to the challenge of delivering innovative solutions to meet the demands for new homes. Our developments are not just about bricks and mortar; they represent a commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and community spirit. By integrating green spaces, modern amenities, and affordable housing options, urban regeneration projects are reshaping our urban landscapes into thriving hubs where our homebuyers can live, work, and play.
With each new Redrow development comes an opportunity to create lasting change and thriving communities. For us, urban regeneration is more than just building new homes; it’s about building a brighter future for generations to come.
What is sustainable urban living?
Sustainable urban living is a new term that is growing in popularity. It simply means a way of living that helps to reduce environmental impact using renewable energy, recycling waste, and ensuring urban areas have access to green spaces.
Sustainable developments are important because they seek to address environmental matters. As part of urban sustainability, we incorporate green infrastructures, prioritise ‘walkable communities’ and public transport access to lower fuel emissions, and develop strategies to conserve water usage.
Our sustainable development goals and strategies for sustainable urban living aim to preserve the local area's natural surroundings by using resources responsibly and building low-carbon homes. Let’s learn a little bit more about how we do that here at Redrow in more detail…
How Redrow uses urban regeneration to build new communities and sustainable urban areas
As much care goes into choosing our locations as building our high-specification homes. It’s all part of what we call ‘the Redrow difference’ - what sets us apart from other homebuilders in the UK.
We’re extremely proud of the quality of our homes, from our award-winning Heritage Collection to our focus on energy efficiency. But we’re just as proud of our developments, which really are community spaces for our homeowners, including things like communal amenities, green spaces and lots of nods to the area’s heritage.
Redrow developments inspired by urban regeneration
We’re shining a spotlight on some of the new developments we’ve built to breathe new life into disused spaces. Urban regeneration and sustainable development are really important to us, and careful consideration goes into every single brick we lay for our new homes.
For example, the homes at Frenchay Park in Bristol are built on the site of a former hospital. The new site, home to a number of multi-bedroom family properties, is built sensitively to fit in to the peaceful, leafy surroundings of the grounds, and offers a superb location.
Then there’s Horsforth Vale, a Yorkshire development that has been recognised for its locally-inspired design. The mixed-use community, just outside Leeds, includes a bakery and a shop, with the homes all designed to seamlessly integrate into the local area, which used to house a chemical works.
Across the country, our teams are working hard to make sure our developments are always serving the local community. In places where there are large swathes of land no longer in use, we might find the ideal location for a thriving village of new homes perfect for families and first-time buyers.
So, read on for some examples of successful regeneration projects.
Colindale Gardens
Our flagship development of apartments in North London, Colindale Gardens was built on the site of a former Metropolitan Police training ground. It’s one of the most exciting new developments in London, and not just because of the quality of apartments onsite.
The area used to be a private site that was closed off and defunct, but is now a truly vibrant new community with lots of public spaces. We’re proud to have restored connections to the surrounding area too, fostering a real sense of community in this area of northwest London.
What used to be an unused piece of land just outside the capital is now a thriving community set across 47 acres. 20% of the land here is dedicated green space - think cycle paths, walking routes and beautiful communal gardens.
Thanks to redeveloping this area into useable living space, residents of our one and two-bedroom apartments also benefit from a huge array of amenities. The development offers 24-hour concierge and outdoor play areas, plus every apartment enjoys dedicated outdoor space.
Woodford Garden Village
One of our biggest regeneration project success stories to date, Woodford Garden Village in Greater Manchester. At 500 acres, this is one of the largest brownfield regeneration housing sites in the north of England, with 920 homes from our Heritage Collection, from two to five-bedroom properties built here.
The site was built on the former Woodford Aerodrome, and was carefully built with consideration of the surrounding green belt of countryside in mind—the development boasts over 50 acres of public open space, including 19 different areas of play, parks, meadowland and a village green. The success of the redevelopment - breathing new life into a now disused space - was recognised with an award at 2022’s UK Property Awards.
To sensitively honour the history of the area, the development includes the purpose-built Woodford War Memorial Community Centre and a heritage museum, dedicated to remembering the work completed at the Aerodrome - including aircraft manufacturing for the Second World War.
Jason Newton, managing director for Redrow North West, said that Woodford is “a standout example of how brownfield regeneration with a clear vision and collaborative approach can lead to the creation of beautiful neighbourhoods. Woodford will leave a legacy for generations to come.”
We’re delighted to have Redrow homeowners like Trevor demonstrate just how important it is to approach historic sites and urban regeneration sensitively. As a pilot, Trevor actually flew the Vulcan planes that were built on this very site, and in fact later discovered that one of the planes kept here was actually one that he personally piloted!
Parc y Coleg
A thriving development of new homes in Caerleon, Parc y Coleg is a fantastic example of reusing land to breathe new life into an area. This location is a former university campus, ideally positioned on the edge of the vibrant town of Caerleon. You might also recognise it as a filming location for Netflix’s Sex Education!
To build this exciting new development in South Wales, we’ve been able to retain the original main historic university building, and are working on regenerating the site to create a vibrant new community all around it. As with all Redrow developments, we’re focussing on adding green spaces and energy efficiency. As such, the homes from our Heritage Collection here are also Eco Electric, and powered by air source heat pump.
“Parc y Coleg is surrounded by green space, yet superbly located for easy access to Newport, Cardiff and Bristol,” says Beverley Wookey, Sales Director for Redrow in South Wales. “The development has proved to be very popular with both commuters and families alike.”
To see how our developments build better places for communities and nature to thrive, explore your nearest locations. Or read more about our sustainability efforts, from energy efficiency to sustainable home building.
