North Taunton Woolaway project overview

Introduction

The regeneration of North Taunton Woolaway project brings more than just new homes but supports the growth within the local economy and offers health, environmental and employment opportunities.

The project offers the council the opportunity to maximise the social investment for the benefit of the community now and in the future.

The project will complement the council’s objectives of:

A greener, more Sustainable Somerset
A Healthy and Caring Somerset
A Fairer, Ambitious Somerset
A Flourishing and Resilient Somerset

Project overview

The successful completion of the North Taunton Woolaway project is a priority for Somerset Council.

The regeneration scheme, based in North Taunton, is a high priority project which will replace defective housing by delivering new and more sustainable homes for our tenants.

We recognise that to achieve this we need to ensure that we communicate effectively with the North Taunton community and our stakeholders.

Learn more about the regeneration journey of the North Taunton Woolaway Project since its inception in 2017 #weareNTWP

Project background

Since 2017, we have been working in partnership with residents and stakeholders in North Taunton on finding the best solution to manage the large concentration of Woolaway properties in the area.

Woolaway homes can suffer deterioration that may affect their life span and the Government has universally designated this house type as defective. However, these homes are still safe to live in.

Following public consultations, and meetings with the design group and other partnership agencies, 3 final designs were created:

Option 1 – refurbish all  Woolaway properties
Option 2 – refurbish and replace some Woolaway properties (potential for additional houses)
Option 3 – replace most and refurbish some Woolaway properties (potential for additional houses and community facility)

It was decided by the council, stakeholders and residents within the development area that the preferred option was option 3 – replace most and refurbish some Woolaway properties.

In December 2018, the council submitted outline planning permission for the whole development as well as detailed planning permission for phase A due to the development being constructed in stages.

Please note: at the planning committee meeting held on Wednesday 27 March 2019, planning permission was granted for both the outline planning and phase A applications.

We are working closely with tenants and homeowners within the development area and will be providing support throughout this project.

Phasing plan

The proposed scheme will provide between 227 and 230 new build homes and refurbish 27 existing council homes through a phased approach.

There will be a net increase of 67 to 69 new homes as a result of the overall scheme.

The scheme has been divided into 5 phases A to E, these are illustrated on the plan below.

North Taunton Woolaway project phasing plan

Phase A includes five separate sites, one north of Ludlow Avenue, one south of Cambridge Terrace, one north of Bodmin Road, one west of Dorchester Road and Wells Close and the site on the corner of Rochester Road and Dorchester Road.

Vacant possession of phase A was obtained in winter 2019
The demolition of phase A completed in Autumn 2020 by LA Moore
Main contractor appointed March 2020 (Equans previously known as Engie)
Main contractor takes possession of Phase A site June 2021
Groundworks commenced August 2021
The first Phase A properties completed and let May 2023
Phase A completed in April 2024.

Together with ENGIE, we took part in a ground-breaking ceremony at the site in Wells Close, Taunton, on Wednesday (22 September 2022). Work starts on regeneration of North Taunton Woolaway homes

On 31 January 2023, Equans informed the Council that it has decided not to take on any new work in the South West region and this includes future phases at North Taunton. Equans stated that this decision has been taken in light of many challenges and their lack of confidence in securing a sustainable pipeline of developments in the South West region. The completion of phase A properties is unaffected by this decision and Equans will complete their current contract obligations.

Phase A completed April 2024, please see this time lapse video of the builds completion from Ground breaking to Grand Opening

The North Taunton Woolaway Project won the award for Residential Project of the Year (36 homes and over). The Project was praised for being an ambitious regeneration project that supports growth within the local economy and offers health, environmental and employment opportunities, the council-led development provides homes of exceptionally high-quality, setting the standard for other local authorities and the private sector.

Phase B includes properties in Durham Place and Oxford Place.

Phase B became a live decant phase in December 2020
Vacant possession was gained in spring 2022
Phase B was prepared for demolition
A demolition contractor was procured with a start on site date in Autumn 2023
Hughes and Salvidge were appointed as the demolition contractor for B, Ci and Di starting in Spring 2024
Announcement of Main Contractor for Phase B,Ci and Di

Phase C includes even-numbered properties at Hereford Drive, Southampton Row, parts of Dorchester Road, Dover Road and parts of Rochester Road.

Phase A is now complete. Phases B and Ci are the next phases for development.

Phase C has been split into 3 sub-phases Ci, Cii and Ciii.

Phase Ci became a live decant phase in November 2021
Planning Permission Granted – phases B to C have now been approved and the council is eager to agree on the contract for the development of the next phases
Phase B and the void properties in phase Ci are now being prepared for demolition
A Demolition Contractor has been procured for Phase B, Ci and Di starting in Spring 2024
Announcement of Main Contractor for Phase B,Ci and Di

Phase D includes odd-numbered properties in Hereford Drive, odd-numbered properties at Ludlow Avenue with parts of Rochester and Dorchester Road.

Phase D has outline planning permission and full detailed planning permission was submitted in July 2021.

Phase D has now been divided into sub phases, D, Di and Dii. Di will be the site of the new site compound to allow the next phases of construction to take place. Phase Dii included the Hereford Drive flat block only.

Di became a live decant phase in August 2022
Hughes and Salvidge were appointed as the demolition contractor for B, Ci and Di starting in Spring 2024
Phase Di (the properties along the Rochester Road between Hereford and Ludlow Avenue) will be demolished to hold the new contractor’s site compound.
After due consideration we have decided to bring forward part of the demolition for Phase D, now titled Phase Dii. This phase includes the flat block 9-19b Hereford Drive only.

Phase E includes even numbered properties at Ludlow Avenue, some properties at Bodmin Road, and Dorchester Road.

Phase E is the refurbishment of the 27 council-owned defective Woolaway type non-traditional constructed homes.

Unfortunately, following a second procurement exercise for the retrofit, we regret that the council has not been able to appoint a contractor able to refurbish the properties within the budget available. We will now start a new appraisal of the options for the phase E homes and make decisions about the empty council homes.

The council is keen to ensure that as the estate goes through changes, all residents continue to receive services to a high standard. The council is responsible for making sure the estate environment remains tidy and that tenants continue to receive a good housing services.

We are applying a business-as-usual approach to our service so please remember to report repairs and any estate or tenancy matters through your usual contact numbers.

Demolition

The next phase of the North Taunton Woolaway regeneration scheme moves forward as demolition contracts are awarded.

Somerset Council has awarded a contract to Hughes and Salvidge to demolish the existing properties within Phase B, Ci and Di, to allow the construction of the next new homes to begin.

The same contract will also cover the demolition of council properties at Wordsworth Drive and Coleridge Crescent.

More information can be found in this letter to residents and this list of Demolition Frequently Asked Questions, with further information shared both here and on the North Taunton Woolaway Facebook Page.

For more information about the demolition of Phase B, Ci and Di, please see this explanation video below.

Jobs and training opportunities

During this project, the council and EQUANS are aiming to maximise local employment and training opportunities. We aim to do this through a plan which will incorporate work experience, employment opportunities, employability workshops, and training.

We will post local job opportunities related to the project here and on our Facebook page. Previous roles include:

Cleaner
Gate person
Groundworks supervisor
Groundworkers
Plant operators
Telehandler operator
Roofers (slate and tile)
Contracts manager
Graduate quantity surveyor
Site fitter – operative
Site fitter – skilled supervisor

For more guidance and support in employment visit our community employment hubs.

Communication

The project team are committed to communicating effectively with residents. We aim to keep all stakeholders updated and involved.

Community representatives support the creation of newsletters, factsheets and documents to share relevant information. Please see our North Taunton Woolaway Project Documents page for examples of our communications.

We also have a Facebook group as another key way to share project progress.

In addition, you can explore our ‘How to’ series of videos on a YouTube playlist

We put together video guides which give more information about the new build homes at the North Taunton Woolaway Project. The videos include an explanation of how to use your Air Source Heat Pump, Solar Panel Controls and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery system, along with many other short videos.

Virtual tours

Explore our virtual tour series on YouTube, showcasing a sample of the different property types that highlight the latest low carbon technologies and ecology features of these new homes.

Videos available:

Low Carbon Features
Ecology Features
1 Bed Bungalow Virtual Tour
2 Bed Narrow House Tour
3 Bed Narrow House Virtual Tour
4 Bed Wide House Virtual Tour
4 Bed Narrow House Virtual Tour
1 Bed Apartment Virtual Tour
2 Bed Apartment Virtual Tour
1 Bed Flat Over Garage Virtual Tour
2 Bed Flat Over Garage Virtual Tour
3 Bed Wheelchair adapted Chalet bungalow
2 Bed Adapted Bungalow

Project team

There is a dedicated team from Somerset Council, Nash Partnership, Equans (formerly Engie), Wellings Partnership and Taylor Lewis working on the project in partnership with the community.