Abri has confirmed that it will start to progress options for the complete regeneration of Sawyers Close, Windsor.
Working with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Abri, one of the largest housing providers in the south, will shortly begin the first part of a consultation programme with its customers to understand their future housing needs. This will involve every household and will play a critical part in helping to shape the type of homes, inside and out, that will be needed. The consultation programme will run for most of 2022 with each step feeding into the design and specification until a final scheme is agreed.
Rose Bean, Executive Director of Assets and Sustainability at Abri said;
“The regeneration of Sawyers Close is an opportunity to make a positive change for our customers and we need to get it right first time. Our consultation will involve our customers, the local community and councillors from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and take place throughout 2022. It’s really important to Abri that we involve our customers from the very beginning, that we listen to their feedback and understand what they really need.”
“Regeneration on this scale takes time so alongside the consultation, we’re continuing to invest in the homes at Sawyers Close and we will be starting work soon to upgrade the heating systems within the buildings.
“As a housing provider, we are committed to providing our customers at Sawyers Close with improved housing and increasing the number of affordable homes in the Borough. These goals are what have driven our announcement today and will continue to drive our work during 2022.We look forward to working closely with the councillors and officers at RBWM to make this happen.”
Councillor Samantha Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Council, Corporate & Resident Services, Culture & Heritage, and Windsor, said:
“We look forward to working closely with Abri and helping to shape the future of Sawyers Close. We are committed to addressing the housing challenges residents face in the Royal Borough, improving social outcomes for all and supporting our vulnerable residents. The prospect of more genuinely affordable homes for local residents is very welcome.
“We fully support Abri’s ambition to place its customers at the heart of its plans, responding to their ideas about the homes they want to live in.”
This announcement follows on from a survey of customers carried out by Abri early last year. This indicated that over 80% of respondents would be ‘very pleased’ to see the regeneration of the entire estate.
Abri hope to be able to submit a planning application in early 2023 but this will only happen after a full consultation has taken place with Abri’s customers and the local community. Today’s milestone marks only the beginning of Abri’s work with its customers to develop proposals for the regeneration of Sawyers Close.
Abri will soon be writing to its customers to provide further information on the future homes survey and its wider consultation programme. To find out more visit Abri’s dedicated website www.sawyersclose.com
Find out more at www.abri.co.uk