Learning more about bpha’s place-shaping role
17 September 2024
PlaceShapers
Welcome to PlaceShapers bpha - I look forward to working with you to demonstrate how place-shaping really can be at the heart of decision-making.
I went to Bedford today. Catherine Ryder and I arranged to go and meet new PlaceShapers member bpha and had a wonderful couple of hours catching up with Chief Executive Richard Hill, Rebecca Demott, Senior Communications Officer, and Eddie Kelly, Director of External Affairs. We heard what bpha is all about and then saw it for ourselves when we had a quick tour of some of their homes.
We initially met at the train station and Catherine and I realised neither of us had been to Bedford before - we walked the short distance to the office and wondered about the town’s past. Catherine suggested Bedford looked like one of the new towns built in the last 50 years or so, which I agreed with based on the houses we were walking past. I then did a quick google search and read how Bedford castle had been built by Henry I and later destroyed in 1224, and we had to accept our urban history was neither as extensive nor accurate as we liked to think it was!
bpha was created in the 1990s from a stock transfer of around 7000 homes, and has grown, all through development, to its current size of just under 20,000 homes. It is an impressive statistic, and bpha is still growing albeit with a slightly reduced but still healthy development programme of circa 250 homes a year.
Richard Hill, Matthew Walker and Catherine Ryder.
What I found most interesting about the visit however was the way bpha has been dealing with its high-rise blocks. As part of the tour Richard and Eddie took us on, we visited Ashburnham Court, just opposite the train station and which has been transformed by a refurbishment programme. The work involved adding distinctive cladding using a number of different materials and lot of which are an attractive orange colour that has not only improved the aesthetic appeal of the building but also increased the thermal efficiency of the 55 flats in the block. A new heating system has also been installed, replacing the gas supply. The communal areas have been redecorated and the lifts upgraded. Open balconies have had glass added to make them a ‘winter garden’, and they look really great. The refurbishment works were only finished last year and looks like the kind of place anyone would be happy to live.
A short drive away are the three tower blocks forming the Greyfriars scheme. Richard talked us through the master plan which involves consolidating ownership of a larger site including a car park and old police station to create a new, mixed tenure quarter. The site adjoins the town centre so there is a lot going for the proposals, which understandably are a key priority for the local mayor. Schemes like this take literally years to complete and plans are still at a very early stage, so bpha’s community anchor status and long-term commitment to Bedford and the surrounding area make them the ideal partner to make this dream a reality.
I’m writing this on the train home and looking forward to the day when I can return to see the site complete with residents. Welcome to PlaceShapers bpha - I look forward to working with you to demonstrate how place-shaping really can be at the heart of decision-making.