Everyone probably has a vision of what the perfect community looks like…

We all hear a lot about affordable housing, safe communities and new innovative developments, but with media channels constantly displaying the negative (certainly with Grenfell) it can be hard to see the positive side to communities. 

I recently stumbled across some property news about how the Red or Dead designer is leading the way in housing. Right here in the UK, Lancashire in fact, there is a new estate which is breaking boundaries and bringing the concept of ‘perfect’ to estates and communities. With that, it got me thinking what the ideal or ‘perfect’ community space would look like…

Green Hills, Lancashire

The driving force behind Green Hills is a husband and wife design team who have been working with like-minded partners. The landowners had a goal to build an estate that would benefit both the locals and the developers.

Red or Dead fashion brand founders and designers, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway believe it is in many ways, a template for how we should deliver homes:

“The site is on a moor and people love the way we have left big natural hollows for the water and big rocks. There are village greens that go through the whole of the development and trees have been left in place,” says Wayne, who founded fashion brand Red Or Dead with Gerardine in 1982.

“We know the situation we have now: two generations of young people who are worse off than their parents and their chance of owning a home before they are 40 is much slimmer than mine was”

Safety

Safety should be the first priority on our list of what a perfect community looks like. Surely the safety of our families, children and friends is one of our main concerns?

Safety can be ensured in various ways. CCTV could be one option; this could not only deter crime, but the aftermath would be much more efficient.

Walls around the estate could be a potential solution. 

Neighbourhood watch could not only be a way to enhance safety and keep a watch on the community without a feeling of privacy invasion, but it could provide a social/community element to meeting once a week and discussing etc. Raising awareness is a part of this; by communicating safety to a community, you can spread the word. 

Even encouraging people to close windows and lock doors when they leave the house can be simple yet effective to living for ‘safety first’.

Lighting in public areas is a must for any community or estate. Lighting any path, cycle lanes and roads is a must for safety reasons. Cars can be hazards so parking needs to be obvious, lit up and safe. 

All lights and electrics, however, must be checked and maintained on a regular basis.

Amenities

With any space which is shared with others in a community, people need more than just a home. The ideal community isn’t just safe – it should make a safe life for us in general. This includes doctors, pharmacies, a place to keep fit and healthy and a place to educate ourselves, perhaps a bookshop, and of course schools etc.

Social Element

Referring back to Green Hills estate, Wayne says that the projects he manages always have a social element. When they became involved in housing design 17 years ago he railed against the ‘Wimpeyfication’ of Britain. His previous developments have included pocket parks and communal barbecues.

A social element to any estate or space can present a collective feeling for the residents and make it feel more like home. It can also help people settling into the community. Would your ideal community have organised activities? Bars or pubs? Organised social sports?

Price/Affordability

Price is a huge factor which contributes to the popularity of an area. A higher price shows the want for the area. It’s a bit like stocks.

We are in a generation now who are wanting middle-ground. The market has changed and so has the property ladder, so perhaps a mixture of rented accommodation and properties to buy could be the ideal scenario.

When it comes to price, it’s not just the affordability of the building itself, but also the service fees, running of the property and maintenance charges. Would they be included or would they be extra? 

The difference between residential blocks and conventional housing could also be the difference between price and affordability. Would people prefer to live in apartments, flats or houses in the ideal community? Maybe it depends on their personal situation and other factors such as family.

Sustainability

If emissions are wanted to be reduced, cars could be replaced by bicycles and walking. If paths are lit well and are safe and all amenities are close by, more people may be willing to ditch the car!

If an estate could be as near to fully sustainable as possible, surely this is the best step-forward? The future is heading in a locally sourced and sustainable way, with many shops now opting to ditch single-use. Is being sustainable a priority for future communities?

Technology

We are no strangers to the smart home, so what about a smart estate? With technology becoming our main tool to make everything efficient, safe and smarter, surely this is the way to make a community better.  It could pave the way for safety, access and even looking into the future for modernisation.

Technology could help with factors such as energy saving lights with sensors, safety issues for access through gates etc and even scheduling and managing any maintenance or property repairs.

A Passion

There needs to be passion and love behind any area and space to make it a home. Again, referring to Green Hills, there was a motivational and drive behind it which made the project more than just that. Both Wayne and Gerardine grew up in the area and said:

“Green Hills is close to our hearts. My mother always said you should try to leave the world a better place than you found it and that has always been our philosophy.”

To make a place perfect, everyone needs to work as a team, have passion and have the same goal – to make the space a better and safer place.

What’s your idea of the perfect community? Your safe haven? Would you have any of the above? 

I would love to know your thoughts on this! I may even let you know my perfect community.

I am Darren Waitson, CEO & Founder at Nirvana Maintenance, experts in property maintenance including fire defence and electrical maintenance.