Leonard Charles Development shortlisted at Welsh Housing Awards 2017

Morganstone is delighted to have been shortlisted for the New Development Award at the Welsh Housing Awards 2017. The nomination is for the Leonard Charles House, Swansea, a partnership development with Coastal Housing Group.

This award recognises the new developments that are making a contribution to housing supply or affordability in their area, or that are meeting a previously unmet need. The winning development must be able to demonstrate:

• That they have worked with the local community to ensure support and that community needs are met by the development.
• The impact that the development has for local people.
• That the development has made design considerations about the purpose and functionality of the homes built.

The development is the refurbishment of the former Leonard Charles department store, Oxford Street, Swansea. The store was built in the early 1970’s and for many years was a major shopping destination in Swansea. The store along with much of the surrounding commercial and retail areas unfortunately declined during the 1980’s and 1990’s finally closing to the public in 2013.  By then the exterior of the store itself had deteriorated and was contributing to the general rundown and neglected appearance of parts of Oxford Street.

Morganstone in partnership with Coastal Housing Group brought the site forward as a package deal to regenerate a land mark building in Swansea and contribute to the wider regeneration of Swansea City Centre.

Coastal, Morganstone and the design team worked closely together from the outset on the design and specification of the building. The external appearance of the building was transformed by new rainscreen cladding, windows and curtain walling. The Joint Project Team undertook extensive consultation work with local residents including pre-planning and local stakeholder engagement.  This was maintained throughout with works scheduled to fit in with surrounding business.

Design quality was a major driver for both the Joint Project Team and Swansea City Council. The Project Team worked hard to find creative solutions that delivered a high quality of design within a challenging budget. What has been achieved is a building that not only offers residents a high standard of accommodation, but also contributes positively to the wider built environment and regeneration of the surrounding area.

The Welsh Housing Awards take place on Thursday 17 November 2017 at the Vale Hotel near Cardiff.