Sawyers Close – understanding the future homes you need and shaping the designs
Last year, we made a commitment not to take any decisions about the future of Sawyers Close without involving our customers and we stand by that. We know it’s taken a long time but we’re excited about this next stage and we’re now in the position to develop the proposals and design for potential regeneration. We want to hear what you think and get your help to shape what it could look like.
Keeping you in the loop
Last year we launched our dedicated website for Sawyers Close – www.sawyersclose.com – which we’ll update with the latest news about the regeneration plans, our proposals for the future and information on important work to the buildings. We’ll post details of upcoming events on there too.
Our thinking so far has been influenced by the results of the customer survey which we carried out in early 2021. Over 80% of those who responded told us that they would be ‘very pleased’ to see the regeneration of the entire estate which this is the option that we now want to progress further. We want to talk to you about your future housing needs and would really like you to get you involved in designing a new estate: everything from greenspace and parking, to the buildings themselves and importantly, what the homes would look and feel like on the inside. All of this will help inform what we eventually decide to do.
We’ll be doing a thorough public consultation
There’s a lot to do, so our consultation programme will stretch over most of 2022, initially just with our customers and then involving the local community as well. We plan to start in February 2022 with a future homes survey (it really will help us understand the types of homes we should be providing). We’ll be asking every household at Sawyers Close to complete this. It will help us to know a little more about the place you call home now, and a lot more about your needs for the future, from the style of home you would like to live in, to the facilities you want to see, to specific family needs. All of this will influence our designs and we will be sharing the results with you as the consultation progresses.
Then, in the spring and summer, we’ll host a series of events in person, subject to public health guidelines, when you can meet the team, review the early designs and tell us what you think.
We’ll continue to contact you directly by letter, but if you’d prefer to receive an email, just let us know via the Contact Us tab on the website.
In a nutshell
• February – future homes survey
• April – first customer consultation
• June – second consultation
• September – third consultation
• In between each consultation we’ll be sharing our findings with the planners at Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council.
Heating upgrade
We’re going to continue to invest in Sawyers Close and as you will have heard, we’re going to start replacing the heating at Sawyers Close soon. As a result our contractors, Enerveo, will be in touch with you soon about this.
Next steps as we progress options for regeneration
We’ll also be in touch this month with details of the future homes survey. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can contact us by emailing [email protected] or by calling Freephone 0800 169 6507. We’ll also be working closely with your ward councillors and of course our housing and community development teams will be involved too.
Best wishes,
Gavin Webster
Abri
