Pocket Living

#ThrowbackThursday At Sail Street and Juxon Street in London, we proudly delivered 70 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for local first-time buyers in partnership with Pocket Living. 🏙️✨ Additionally, we created 29 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom affordable apartments at Mountearl Gardens, bringing much-needed affordable housing to the borough. These three schemes showcased the innovation of modular construction: 🏗️ Identical modules, designed uniquely for each project, created distinctly different schemes. 🔄 Concurrent construction across all three sites required meticulous coordination of factory slots, delivery, and sequencing to stay on programme. ✅ The modules arrived fully finished - complete with windows, doors, insulation, plumbing, wiring, and ducting - with only minor finishing on-site. In just one month, the modular elements were installed, reducing on-site waste, minimising disruption to the local community, and accelerating delivery timelines. These projects exemplify how modular construction can transform urban housing, providing high-quality, affordable homes with efficiency and precision. #AffordableHousing #ModularConstruction #Innovation #PocketLiving #SustainableDevelopment #LondonHousing Jerry Ryan Kolawole Ojeyomi, RIBA ARB MRIAI MNIA João Ornelas Ayna Azhigali

Andrew Tam from Gort Scott Architects walks us through the sustainable design approach behind Forest Road 🌿 A thoughtful blend of eco-innovation and community-focused architecture.

Meet Charlie and Harriet, two of our amazing residents at Forest Road 👫 We recently caught up with them to chat about their homebuying journey and what life here has been like—here’s what they had to say... #ForestRoad #PocketLiving #firsttimebuyer

Our team went all out for Purple Tuesday this week with a purple-themed feast and outfits to match! 💜 We also took some time to pause and reflect, with a powerful talk from Harold on our charity this year, Men’s Minds Matter 🧠. For those who aren’t familiar, Purple Tuesday is all about making businesses more accessible for everyone. Every year, organisations from every sector make commitments to improve accessibility and inclusivity for disabled customers. It’s a day dedicated to real, positive change—and we’re proud to be part of it. #PurpleTuesday #MensMindsMatter #Accessibility #Inclusion #PocketLiving

Forest Road was awarded in the Medium Housing Development category at the Brick Awards 2024! The project was recognised by judges for its high quality and workmanship: "Beautiful looking building, the wet cast stonework complemented the tint of the clay bricks. Excellently constructed brickwork especially the window surrounds and stone heads!” - Judges Comment Congratulations to all involved: client Pocket Living, our contractor Legendre UK and extended team BD landscape architects, Whitby Wood, XCO2, Hive Curates, Boyer and WT (UK & Europe). A special mention to Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC, supplier of Forest Road's beautiful bricks from Floren & Cie. Thank you to Brick Development Association (BDA) for hosting. Photo credits: Jack Hobhouse (Forest Road), IP Visuals (event photography) #brickawards24 #walthamforest #affordablehousing

We’re incredibly proud that Forest Road has been recognised as the Medium Housing Development of the Year at the Brick Awards, hosted by The Brick Development Association (BDA). Designed by Gort Scott and located in London’s Waltham Forest, Forest Road provides 90 affordable one-bedroom homes for first-time buyers on a repurposed site across from the iconic William Morris Gallery. "Beautiful looking building, the wet cast stonework complemented the tint of the clay bricks. Excellently constructed brickwork especially the window surrounds and stone heads!” A huge congratulations to everyone involved: Whitby Wood XCO2 WT (UK & Europe) Boyer BD landscape architects JGA, a Jensen Hughes Company Legendre UK Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC

Pocket Living Woodside Park development looking resplendent yesterday in the autumn sunshine #AffordableHousing #DiscountedHomes

HTA’s recently completed Woodside Park for Pocket Living features 86 affordable homes located on a narrow brownfield site beside Woodside Park Station. The scheme offers local people a path to home ownership and is only available to first-time buyers who are living or working in Barnet. The apartments frame a central courtyard and feature exposed brick and concrete stair cores that look out towards surrounding parks. Bordered by Transport for London Northern Line to the east and residential gardens to the west, the courtyard design manages a 3m level change that slopes from north to south across the constrained site. The building’s façade features a hit-and-miss brickwork façade in a double-leaf monk bond pattern, a result of close collaboration between architect, contractor, and façade specialists. The design creates a soft, ecclesiastical quality of light within the communal areas that invites residents to engage with the spaces. Architecturally, the building’s rich red mottled brickwork and detailing echo the character of the adjacent locally listed St Barnabas Church. The uniform unit type lends order across the façade, enhanced by well-proportioned bays, soldier course banding on each level, and projecting header brickwork that adds depth and texture to the top floor. 📷 Kilian O'Sullivan #woodsideparkstation #affordablehousing #design #architecture #brickwork

Great progress being made by Pocket Living at their Sheepcote Road development in Harrow. Delivering homes for the ever important aspiring first time buyer, I look forward to visiting again when the development is complete. Thank you Jennifer Anson for scheduling and hosting the tour. Sian McIntyre Frances Cassidy Gajendra Gupta Sidney Wager Tom Gorman Sundeep Jadeja Andy Catchpole CeFA CeMAP Russell Cross Paul Rickard Fiona Haggett, FRICS

In this post from our Get SMEs Building Again series, we turn to New Zealand for a fresh perspective on planning committee processes, as highlighted by Grant Leggett (Boyer). Could the UK learn from New Zealand’s more streamlined and expert driven approach? 🤔 🏛️ The Challenge In the UK, planning committees are often flooded with minor applications, slowing down decisions on major projects. Reports for committee applications take up significant time and resources, leaving officers stretched thin. Moreover, committee members—usually local councillors—aren’t always equipped with the technical expertise required for complex decisions. This often results in rushed or uninformed choices, adding delays and costs. 🌏 The Kiwi Solution In New Zealand, only the largest and most contentious applications go to committee, which are not held regularly, but as needed. This system trusts planning officers to make the day-to-day decisions. Committees are smaller (3-5 members) and include technical experts in areas like urban design, heritage, or transport, alongside elected members. The chair is often an independent town planning professional. By focusing only on significant applications, this approach leads to faster, more informed decisions and reduces the bottlenecks seen in the UK system. 🔑 Could This Work in the UK? Grant suggests the UK might not adopt this approach wholesale, but it could certainly benefit from: • Less Frequent Committees – Deal only with the most important cases. • Expert-Led Committees – Include urban design or planning experts to guide elected members. • Improved Resource Allocation – Free up officer time for important projects, reducing delays. • These changes could address the slow decision-making currently hampering housing delivery and lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders. Read the full report here: https://shorturl.at/FMKgu 🔗