Broadland Housing Group

Homes, community & support since 1963

norwich

World-leading construction industry body visits Canary Quay, Norwich

CIOB visit to Canary Quay, Norwich, 17 March 2022

World-leading construction industry body visits Canary Quay

Caroline Gumble with Andrew Savage, Executive Development Director, and James Carter of RG Carter

We recently welcomed Caroline Gumble, Chief Executive Officer at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), to Canary Quay. The CIOB is the world’s largest and most influential professional body for construction management and leadership.

Now in its final phase, Canary Quay will provide 323 mixed tenure apartments when complete.

Caroline noted the close working and collaborative approach between Broadland Housing Association, Broadland St Benedicts and our construction partners RG Carter. The Canary Quay project has turned an industrial warehouse and car park into a new residential area in the heart of the city.

Caroline was in Norwich promoting the launch of the new CIOB equality, diversity and inclusion charter for the construction industry.

Webster Court, Norwich

  • kitchen at Webster Court, Norwich
    Kitchen of Lakenfields apartment
  • Living room, Webster Court, Norwich
    Living area of Lakenfields apartment

We worked in partnership with Norwich City Council to provide 6 new affordable homes at Lakenfields, Webster Court for people experiencing homelessness. A modular system was used to deliver high-quality homes, with minimal impact and disruption to the local community.

A former car parking area north of Webster Court now accommodates 6 x 1-bedroom, 2-person flats. The single block of 6 flats over 3 storeys has a communal garden area and vehicle parking accessed off the existing access. The first tenants moved in during December 2021.

Lakenfields (Webster Court), Norwich, on Day 3 of construction
Modular construction of Lakenfields apartments was completed in 3 days in December 2021
Manufacturer Mod Pod International’s video, including pod interiors (1.30)

Webster Court flats ‘built’ in 3 days!

  • Webster Court apartment being craned into position in Norwich
  • Webster Court, Norwich, on Day 3 of construction
  • Webster Court, Norwich, on Day 3 of construction

New apartments for people experiencing homelessness in Norwich have been ‘built’ in 3 days at Webster Court.

The modular apartments were craned into place on site in November, with each storey being ‘built’ in just one day! Watch the timelapse video. The flats were lowered into position with windows, heating systems, kitchens and bathrooms already fitted.

The new apartment block, on a disused car park next to a housing with care scheme run by St Martin’s Housing Trust, will provide desperately-needed homes for people who are homeless in Norwich.

Tenancies of 6-24 months will be available, and tenants will be supported to find a long-term solution to their homelessness. The first residents are due to move in before Christmas.

It’s identified in our Rough Sleeping Strategy that we are in desperate need of homes for people who might be homeless, or who are on the verge of being homeless. It’s so wonderful to see these homes that have grown almost overnight.  What a start for someone who could have their lives changed, and with the proper support, will be able to progress through life in a far better place.

Councillor Gail Harris, Cabinet Member for Social Housing, Norwich City Council

We chose a modular construction route because of speed.  We are looking at a very tight site here, so we needed a solution that would minimise disruption and have just three days of actual construction. The fundamental issue we have in the UK, and in Norwich, is that we do not have enough housing.  That is why we have a problem, that is why we have street homelessness, that is why so many vulnerable groups are struggling to find the right accommodation.  That is why it’s so important to be delivering housing.

Andrew Savage, Executive Development Director, Broadland Housing Association

The new block has been delivered in partnership with Norwich City Council, who gifted the land. The Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities and Homes England supported the construction with funding. Other partners in the project include tenancy support providers St Martin’s Housing Trust and The Magdalene Group; modular supplier modular supplier Modpods International; technical consultants Ingleton Wood, Aecom and Rossi Long; and Munnings Construction.

We are also grateful to Moving Forward-Norfolk (MF-N). Rob Begley, Founder Member, cleaned the 6 flats ready for the tenants to move in, free of charge. MF-N is a not-for-profit organisation set up in April 2021 to tackle the problems caused by hoarding and self-neglect.

Celebrating 20 years: the real Living Wage

Broadland Housing Chief Executive Michael Newey has encouraged all businesses and organisations to consider paying the real Living Wage. Speaking at the Living Wage Foundation‘s 2021 event in Norwich, he said:

The real Living Wage is part of our wider strategy to deliver high levels of staff engagement and as a result deliver a high level of commitment to our tenants and to the organisation. We are a ‘people’ business.  We provide people with homes, and our people provide our tenants with the services they require.  The quality of our employees is vital to our success. Treating people fairly and with respect is key to our culture and drives that engagement.   

Paying our employees a real Living Wage is all about us respecting our staff, ensuring that they are paid properly for the jobs they are doing. It reduces the chances that they will need to turn to benefits to look after their families, and struggle to make ends meet. 

Paying people a wage that allows them to have a reasonable standard of living shouldn’t be an optional extra for organisations whether in the public, private or third sector.   

If you can’t afford to pay people properly for the job that they do for you – if you need to ask them to apply for in-work benefits because you can’t afford to pay them a real Living Wage, then I believe that trustees, directors, executive teams and shareholders need to ask themselves some difficult questions about their business model.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, Broadland Housing Association

Broadland Housing was first accredited as a Living Wage Employer in 2016. There are more than 300,000 people working for almost 9,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the country.

What is the real Living Wage?

The real Living Wage rates are rising to £9.90 across the UK (40p increase), and £11.05 in London (20p increase), supporting workers and families. The Living Wage rates are the only rates independently calculated based on what people need to live on. 

Unlike the Government minimum wage (‘National Living Wage’ for over 23s – £8.91 rising to £9.50 in April 2022) the real Living Wage is the only wage rate independently calculated based on rising living costs – including fuel, energy, rent and food. A full-time worker earning the new, real Living Wage would earn £1,930 a year more than a worker earning the current government minimum (NLW). For a worker today that’s the equivalent of 7 months of food bills and more than 5 months’ rent based on average household spending in the UK.

Exciting new developments for the Living Wage campaign

Organised by Aviva plc, Norwich City Council and Future Radio, the Living Wage Week event in Norwich celebrated the historic achievements of the campaign, and the benefits for both employees and employers. There were presentations by Phoenix Events, Future Radio, Aviva and Allan Waters, Leader of the city council. There was also a look ahead to new developments – Living Hours, a Living Pension and Norwich’s plans to become a Real Living Wage City.

  

Celebration at Canary Quay honours social housing champions

Broadland Housing has celebrated naming apartment blocks at Canary Quay, Norwich, after Baroness Patricia Hollis and Richard Hawthorn, both passionate supporters of social housing.

  • Naming ceremony, Patricia Hollis House and Richard Hawthorn House, Canary Quay, Norwich
  • Naming ceremony for Patricia Hollis House and Richard Hawthorne House, Canary Quay, Norwich
  • Tenants at Canary Quay, naming ceremony for Patricia Hollis House and Richard Hawthorn House, Norwich
  • Naming ceremony for Patricia Hollis House and Richard Hawthorne House, Canary Quay, Norwich
  • Naming ceremony for Patricia Hollis House and Richard Hawthorne House, Canary Quay, Norwich

Speakers Lord Alan Howarth and MP Clive Lewis joined Canary Quay tenants at the naming ceremony, which was held on the site at Geoffrey Watling Way, Norwich. The development of over 300 new homes on the riverside is a partnership between Broadland Housing and R G Carter.

‘Somewhere to call home’

Baroness Hollis, who died in 2018, was chair of Broadland Housing Association from 2009 until 2015, at the time when the vision for Canary Quay was created.  Richard Hawthorn was a tenant Board member of the housing association from 2010 until his death in 2017.

Welcoming guests to the celebration, Broadland Housing Association Chief Executive Michael Newey said the occasion was bittersweet. 

Patricia and Richard were amazing as Board members. They both played a significant part in making this development reality.  It’s fitting that their names adorn the first two blocks which have been completed here, because above all both of them felt it was very important that people have somewhere to call home.

Michael Newey, Chief Executive, Broadland Housing Associatoin

Lord Howarth (pictured above, centre), who was Baroness Hollis’ partner, said:

Patricia was not about public recognition, but she would have been very proud to have her name associated with a social housing project in Norwich.  She would have been thrilled at the fulfilment of this project.

She was very happy to be invited to chair Broadland Housing Association. She loved working with them, and was very proud of what they achieved.

Patricia was also very fond of Richard Hawthorn, a fellow trustee and a great advocate for the interests of Broadland’s tenants.

Lord Alan Howarth

‘Community is all about people’

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis said that the new development was a community space which would enable the community to flourish.

Ultimately community is about people. It’s about buildings, it’s about infrastructure, it’s about talking, and Patricia was very good at all of those things. She was a community builder.

When people look at the name Patricia Hollis on this building in years to come, all they need to know is that she helped to build that building, and that she helped to build a community not just here, but across the city, and in many people’s hearts.

Clive Lewis MP (Norwich South)

Richard Hawthorn’s son Marcus sent a message from Canada which was read out at the ceremony. 

My father could not have wished for a greater accolade than to have his name associated with a cause that is supporting people, and that it should be so close to Carrow Road and his beloved Canaries.

Marcus Hawthorn
Read biographies of Baroness Patricia Hollis and Richard HawthornDownload

Canary Quay has been built on land formerly owned by Norwich City Football Club.  The development is a mixture of social housing, affordable homes and open market properties.

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