Biart Place development

63 people attended a community consultation event held at St Peter and St John's church on 14 February 2023.

Residents from 21 streets attended the event. The top three streets were: South Street, Clifton Road and Lawrence Road.

Councillors and officers were supported by five representatives from the design team (Willmott Dixon (contractor), RG+P (Architect) & RPS (Structural Engineer). 

14 people left feedback

Positive feedback

• Layout  
• Parking 
• Green space  
• The plans and event were informative  
• Mixed housing; the balance of flats and houses 
• Solar panels and green energy 
• A mix of 1,2 and 3 bedroom accommodation  
• A good mix of photographs and diagrams to show the extent of the housing to be built 
• People with disabilities will have extra parking spaces 
• Brown buildings are in keeping with brick  
• Well thought out  
• Good to have the site in use again and low-rise  

Suggestions for change

• Concerned about the proposed change to the current access to the site off South Street via Biart Place – this road is used by residents of South Street as a parking area, which can accommodate 12 vehicles.  Parking after 5pm and on the weekends is already difficult; The occupants of South Street sometimes have 2 cars or a car and works van 
• A cycle/footpath not useful as it does not lead to a destination  
• The boards showed limited information  
• Safer routes to school for schoolchildren on the estate will be needed  
• Would prefer a different name for the site  
• Flat roofs look out of place  

Homes England has awarded a £6.8 million grant from its Affordable Homes Programme 2021-2026, while the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has awarded £2 million via the Government's Getting Building Fund.

The grant from Homes England means the development can be 100 per cent social housing, while the grant from the Getting Building Fund has covered the site clearance costs.

A report to councillors considered at a meeting on 26 July 2022 explained Rugby was considered a 'high-pressure affordability' area, meaning Homes England had agreed to provide funding towards the development on the basis it was 100 per cent social housing.

19 March 2021 - The deconstruction and demolition of Fairway Court and Green Court was completed in February, with demolition work across the entire site on schedule to be completed by the end of the month.

The council has started working with its construction partner, Willmott Dixon, to identify a design partner for the redevelopment of the site. The council intends to publish an initial design for the redevelopment for public consultation in late summer 2021.

We have published a gallery of photographs taken by Rugby-based drone photography specialists SkyShots throughout the deconstruction project at Biart Place.

View the photo gallery

13 January 2021 - The council has now appointed Willmott Dixon as its construction partner for the site. Willmott Dixon has considerable experience in the design, cost management and constriction of housing developments, helping the council deliver on its vision for the site.

The deconstruction of the tower blocks and clearance of the site looks set to be completed by March, with construction of the new housing scheme scheduled to start before the end of the year.

14 August 2020 - The demolition of the low-rise flats on site has now been completed. Next week, work starts on dismantling the tower blocks.

Cranes will be used to remove the individual concrete panels from the tower blocks, starting at the top of each block. The panels will then be processed at ground level before removal from the site.

This method minimises the need for working at height and reduces disruption for residents living near the site.

All work on site continues to be carried out in accordance with the Government's guidance on safe working practices during the pandemic.

22 May 2020 - Work on the regeneration of the Biart Place site restarts next week in line with Government guidance.

The site was shutdown on 23 March in response to the restrictions introduced by Government to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

O’Gara, the contractor carrying out the deconstruction of Biart Place, intends to have a limited presence on site next week to make preparations for work to restart the following week.

O’Gara has committed to full compliance with the Government’s guidance on safe working practices during the pandemic.

You can read the full guidance on the Government's website.

9 March 2020 - The scaffolding to Fairway Court has nearly been completed. Tower cranes needed for the deconstruction of the tower blocks look set to be move on site in April/May.

31 January 2020 - The Biart Place road closure has come into effect.

22 January 2020 - O'Gara has started work on installing hoarding, temporary site accommodation and secure storage containers. Signing for the impending road closure has been erected.

20 January 2020 - O'Gara has taken possession of the site.

2 January 2020 - The council has appointed experienced demolition and deconstruction company O'Gara to carry out the deconstruction of Biart Place.

The Manchester-based firm move on to the site later this month to start preparations for the deconstruction project, a process scheduled to take around a year to complete.

O'Gara plan to erect full-height scaffold towers at the blocks complete with sheeted, flame-retardant covers to reduce both noise and dust. The company also plans to use further dust-reduction measures throughout the deconstruction process, with both blocks being taken down floor by floor.

The council's application for the necessary permissions to carry out the deconstruction limits the hours work can be carried out on site to minimise inconvenience to neighbouring residents.

O'Gara intend to contact all residents living next to the garages on the site to discuss the deconstruction project in more detail. 

28 November 2019 -  The council has applied for the necessary permissions in order for the deconstruction of the high-rise blocks and garages at Biart Place to take place.

You can view the application details on our Planning Portal.

We have also started the process of appointing a deconstruction contractor to clear the site. Further details to be published in due course.

Background
Councillors approved a recommendation to replace the blocks at Biart Place at a meeting held in September 2018.

View the council report on Biart Place 
The council is working with Create Streets to develop a vision for the redevelopment and will share this with neighbouring communities for comment in summer 2019.

A community workshop was held for neighbours of Biart Place on 15 July 2019. Use the links above/left for more information.