Striking A2Dominion development wins First Time Buyer Award

A2Dominion impressed the judges with an unusual scheme in historic Oxford to win a prestigious First Time Buyer award, hosted by Phil Spencer of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location.

Meadow Gardens, a scheme of just 30 homes which features a striking piece of artwork, was awarded Best Small Development.

The awards, run by First Time Buyer magazine in conjunction with The Times newspaper, showcase the best services that have helped people to get onto the home-buy ladder.

For the Best Small Development category, judges were looking for a development that had used the best design and quality to create a desirable, affordable and inspiring environment in which people wish to set up their first home.

Gerry Walker, A2Dominion’s Development Director (South East), said: “We are thrilled to have won the Best Small Development for Meadow Gardens, which is a stylish, high quality scheme perfect for first time buyers.

“Building alongside one of Oxford’s busiest roads presented a series of challenges for us, but we successfully overcame these through careful design which has made the most of its highly sought-after location.

“A four-storey ‘barrier block’ was created to give the building presence on the adjacent main road whilst shielding the homes from the traffic. All homes face away from the main road and are positioned to maximise daylight and there is a sheltered south-facing garden.”

Over half of the 30 new homes at Meadow Gardens were available for either shared ownership (part-buy, part-rent) or affordable rent, helping to bring affordable accommodation to a desirable area of the city. The scheme also has 14 private sale homes.

The scheme, which is in Jackson Road, was built by contractor Bugler Developments Ltd, designed by MEPK architects and completed in December 2009.

Prices for shared ownership homes started from £56,000 for a 35 per cent share of a one-bedroom apartment whilst two-bedroom apartments were available from £69,125 for a 40 per cent share. Private sale homes ranged from £155,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, to £190,000 for a two-bedroom home.

Meeting high energy efficiency standards, the scheme achieved Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which can help to reduce residents’ fuel bills, and cycle storage was provided to encourage residents to reduce their car usage.

As part of the building project, a large sculpture was commissioned to go up on the side of the block which is adjacent to the main road. North Oxfordshire artist Suzanne O’Driscoll created the 6.5m high stainless steel sculpture with an aim to reflect the city’s unique areas of natural landscape, its plants and local natural history.

Schoolchildren from the nearby Cutteslowe Primary School were involved in workshops to learn about the creation of the sculpture and the local area’s wildlife, before putting forward their name suggestions for the scheme.

A2Dominion secured £910,000 towards the cost of building the development from the Homes & Communities Agency and £184,000 from Oxford City Council.

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Contacts

Lizzie Yates
Press & PR Officer
A2Dominion Group
Tel: 020 8799 2209/07545 500 939

Notes to Editors

The results for the First Time Buyer Awards were announced at London’s Landmark Hotel on Thursday 22nd April, 2010. Votes from a panel of judges, a readers' panel and external reader votes were all used to determine the final result.

The A2Dominion Group is one of the country’s leading providers of high quality housing. It provides over 33,000 homes across London and southern England with thousands in development. The Group offers a wide range of housing options including affordable rented, temporary, student, sheltered, supported and key worker accommodation. It also has homes for sale and shared ownership through the A2Dominion New Homes brand. Visit www.a2dominion.co.uk/newhomes for more information