Raffles Estate regeneration, Carlisle

In 2002 the Raffles Vision project team was established by Carlisle City Council to prepare a programme of practical proposals to revitalise the Estate.

Project

Parkview, Raffles Estate

Location

Carlisle

Dates

2005 - 2017

Partners 

Carlisle Council and the local community

Value

£45 million

• Turning mono-tenure estate into mixed community

• Dramatic fall in anti-social behaviour

• 500 new homes created

• Enhanced public realm

• New community fire station built

In 2003 Lovell were selected as the preferred partner to deliver the critical housing element of the Vision- the delivery of nearly 500 new high-quality homes to drive change and bring new life into the area.

Working with the local community, Carlisle City Council, Lovell and other partners have helped change perceptions of the Raffles Estate and make it a place people are proud to call home.

The regeneration of the Raffles estate has delivered on its core aim of widening the range of tenure choice on the estate.

Evidence for the positive and lasting legacy of benefits delivered includes:

Increased demand for both ‘for sale’ and affordable homes in the area – 254 open market homes and 107 affordable homes were built– proof that the area has shaken off its ‘hard-to-let’ reputation.

Improved estate infrastructure and community facilities – including new roads, landscaped areas and community fire station.

Reduced crime statistics – crime on the estate dropped by 13 per cent at the start of the regeneration programme, with criminal damage figures going down by half and car theft by 70 per cent.

New training opportunities and jobs for local people – including seven apprenticeships.

The Lovell style of operation has always been one of close collaboration with the City, and engagement with the local community as the scheme and phased development progress. The company has always shown complete dedication and commitment to the scheme and are very understanding of the Council’s needs and underlying objectives for the Estate.

Carlisle City Council

Three local apprentices – two joiners and a bricklayer were recruited between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2015. They include apprentice carpenter John Postlethwaite who is a mature trainee – aged 28 – who was turned down by other employers because of his age. He became Lovell’s 1,000^th apprentice nationally.