The Kendrick Collection, Borehamwood

by Askival Associate Tim Cork RIBA

Location  Glenhaven Avenue, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire

Site Area 0.16 hectares

Consistent end to end development process over 18 months.  Completed Q3 2023.        

Construction Value £8.6m

The Site

The Kendrick Collection development is located at the end of a narrow, predominantly residential road.  The site itself was occupied by several small businesses. The development comprises 27 flats for rent and shared ownership over 5 storeys, with parking being provided in a gated undercroft. The site is hemmed in on all sides by residential and commercial buildings.   

Viability

When Askival was brought in to assist with the project it was clear that the scheme viability was poor.  The scheme had a planning consent for 17 flats over three floors which was not sufficient to support the costs to date and allow the scheme to proceed.

Askival explored potential ways to reduce construction costs and improve sales values of the shared ownership element of the project; but it became evident that a more radical solution was required.  Askival recommended that a new professional team was instructed with the aim of significantly improving the extant planning consent.

Planning Process

We worked closely with the architect to maximise the built form on the site (using 100% of the site area) and by increasing the height from three storeys to five storeys.  The increase in density, was initially resisted by the planners, but by working closely with them and their urban design consultant, we were able to design a scheme which provided 27 new homes – a 58% increase on the previous scheme.  The design provides generously proportioned units, with many having double or triple aspect, with balconies to the front and rear of the building.

Vacant Possession

The existing site had several small businesses that had been there for many years.  We kept them fully informed of the development proposals and the timescales involved.  When the time came for the businesses to relocate, they had all found alternative accommodation. Over time, the various businesses had signed up to a wide range of different leases, sub-leases and tenancies, which led to a complex legal process in serving each tenant with the correct notices, to the correct timelines.  When the day came for the site to be vacated this was achieved without a problem.

Tendering Process

The project was being tendered as tensions were rising in advance of the war in Ukraine and tender prices were incredibly volatile.  We narrowed down the shortlist of tenderers to two contractors, only to then have them both withdraw due to nervousness about the contracting environment.  After a short period of review, we were able to recommend to the client that the contract was negotiated with the Toureen Group a contractor who had been selected by Askival as being suitable for the project.  The negotiation was successful, and the contractor took possession of the site on 2nd February 2022.

Project Management

We acted as client representative throughout the duration of the construction contract. The project was delivered on time and within budget.  The overall quality of the completed units was extremely high, with the site inspector commenting that they were some of the best units that he had seen throughout his career. 

Sales & Marketing Process

At the time of entering into the contract, the projected open market value of the project was c£11.8m.  We worked closely with the sales and marketing consultant to fine tune the specification for the shared ownership units, to increase saleability and sales prices.  Whilst the specification enhancement increased the overall construction spend, the resulting updated valuation showed an uplift in open market value of c£350k, representing a 40% increase in GDV in real terms from the original scheme.

We are working alongside the sales and marketing teams and lawyers to ensure that sales are progressed smoothly and efficiently.

Tenure

Five of the 27 homes in the development are for affordable rent.  We worked with the contractor and the professional team to ensure that rented units have an internal specification which is virtually indistinguishable from the shared ownership units.

Challenges faced and how resolved

Legal – the site had been purchased before Askival’s involvement as a number of different registered titles, each having different rights of ownership and access provisions.  The land to the front of the site was unregistered which presented significant challenges in terms of securing access to the site.  We worked closely with the lawyers to rationalise the title and to design the scheme around these access issues. We also secured a bespoke insurance policy to cover any title-related problems that may have arisen later on in the development process or following practical completion.

Planning – the challenge of replacing an extant planning consent for 17 flats over three storeys with one for 27 flats over five storeys was significant.  Despite strong initial resistance from the planners and their advisors, we were able to explore design ideas with them and eventually convince them of the quality of our design such that when the planning report was issued, it was very complementary and supportive of our proposals.  

Rights of Light – whilst the planning consent to take the building up to five storeys in height made a significant improvement to the project viability, it also had other consequences. The increased height of the building meant that Rights of Light (RoL) issues were a major concern.  Askival worked with the RoL consultants and architects to minimise infringements and then negotiated an insurance policy to cover any potential future claims, allowing the scheme to proceed.

Site Logistics – the optimisation of the scheme to achieve an additional ten homes, meant that the whole of the site was built upon.  This left the contractor with very little provision for on-site accommodation and made for a very tight and compressed building site.  We worked with the contractor and the neighbours to broker an arrangement which allowed the contractor to use adjacent land for the site accommodation, but nevertheless, the logistical challenges of building on such a constricted site in the middle of a built-up residential and commercial area were significant.

Neighbour Relations – we worked with the contractor to ensure that the local neighbours were kept fully informed of all construction related activity (all construction materials had to be brought to the end of a narrow road to be off-loaded) and throughout the duration of the contract, there was not a single neighbour complaint.  We worked with the contractor to produce newsletters to local residents at key points in the construction process.  The contractor was also asked to provide a mobile number that residents and neighbours could call at any time to seek information about impending construction works.

Outcomes

Askival is proud of the fact that despite the challenges of the site and its location (and the wider economic challenges at the time), the scheme was delivered on time and within budget.  Close attention was paid to the quality of construction throughout the build process and this has resulted in homes which are of a high quality, such that snagging of the flats prior to completion resulted in only a few quite minor snags being identified.

We are particularly pleased that the rented properties have been built to a specification virtually identical to the shared ownership units, which has been very well received by the client and the residents.

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