Ockford Ridge refurbishment and redevelopment

Site D

The six houses and ten flats on Site D were the first to have been completed and are fully occupied. The new homes are built and equipped to the highest standards and include the first four-bedroom houses to be built on Ockford Ridge. They are also energy efficient, so tenants will save on their heating, hot water and electricity bills. 

Site A

Building work on the 37 new, affordable homes has been completed and the site is fully occupied.

Site B 

This site has just been completed with the provision of 17 new homes, including three shared ownership properties.

Site C 

Works are well-advanced on this latest part of the council’s regeneration programme to deliver 30 new homes including 12, one-bedroom flats, and two shared ownership properties.

We expect the new homes to be ready for occupation in spring 2025.

Site F

This is the site opposite site C.

Proposals for Site F were shared with tenants and residents of Ockford Ridge in July, at a Drop in Community Consultation Event at St Marks Community Church and Centre and online via the engagement platform Commonplace: Housing Development Hub - Site F Ockford Ridge. Feedback received was generally positive.

Our final designs for the site which includes 20 new homes, eight houses and 12 one- and two-bedroom flats will now be submitted for planning permission. Subject to planning we expect demolition and build to commence in 2025.

Site E

This site is located opposite what is locally known as ‘The Show Homes’ site, (85 and 86 Ockford Ridge and facing the lower part of Site C). It currently comprises three pairs of two-bedroomed semi-detached houses and the long rear gardens of them that slope steeply down to the rear gardens below, on Cliffe Road.

As with site F above, this site has been added to the original four-site investment for Ockford Ridge (A, B, C and D) and once completed will see the council’s phased redevelopment programme in the estate be concluded.

Site E has site constraints, not least its relatively shallow site depth and the steeply sloping rear portion. To this end, bringing it forward for redevelopment will entail more engineering and design input. A business case has yet to be made and procurement options are being considered, together with the possible options for house type and tenure. As with the other phases of regeneration, we will engage and consult with the community on the proposals in due course.

Much of the housing on Ockford Ridge is over 80 years old and there are 9 different property types, making this a very complex refurbishment project.

All 12 properties in Phase 1 were completed in 2018. Our contractor Niblock completed Phases 2 and 3 in 2020. Phase 2 included external works only and Phase 3, like Phase 1, involved full refurbishment of seven homes. Works included new heating, kitchens and bathroom suites along with completely re-wired electrics and a full skim of plaster and painting throughout.

Properties included in Phase 3 which were not already tenanted, have been allocated following our Ockford Ridge allocation policy and all are now occupied.

Phase 4 of the council’s refurbishment programme included the deep retrofit of seven council- owned homes at Ockford Ridge, which incorporates a ‘green technology’ Pilot Scheme. The aim is to create sustainable smart homes, using green technology - for example, air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels and sustainable building practices.

One of the homes was tenanted prior to the retrofit and after moving to a temporary home for the duration of the work has now returned. The remaining six houses have been allocated and new tenants are in the process of moving into their new homes. 

Further information on this project can be found online via the engagement platform Commonplace:

Ockford Ridge Retrofit and Green Technology Pilot

Home User Guide - Niblock Retrofit

The Local Lettings Plan sets out the principles for how the new build homes at Ockford Ridge will be allocated.

The purpose of establishing a local lettings plan is to ensure that a balanced and sustainable community at Ockford Ridge is maintained and that tenants who are affected by the redevelopment plans know how the new homes will be allocated.

Read the Local Lettings Plan for Ockford Ridge

• Autumn 2024 edition
• Winter 2023 edition
• Winter 2022 edition
• Summer 2022 edition