Allerton Bywater (Area 3B)
Design process
English Partnerships acquired the redundant colliery in 1995, and it was consequently selected as the second of the Millennium villages - conceived by the government in 1997 to promote more energy-efficient and less resource-intensive settlements. Aire Design created the masterplan for the new community, and in 1998 EP invited bids from developers to create 520 homes on the 23h site.
EDAW's urban design code, commissioned by EP, was intended to achieve desired objectives much faster than through normal delivery procedures and was adopted as guidance by Leeds City Council in summer 2005. EP started work in 2002 on a range of social and community facilities after undertaking site decontamination and pit-shaft capping. Work on the road network and associated landscaping was contracted in 2003, when the planting of semi-mature trees, installation of a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) and other elements of the infrastructure were simultaneously carried out.
Fleming Developments were invited by EP to build the MMC scheme after the success of their EP-commissioned 'Summit House' at the 2005 Manchester Sustainable Communities Summit, and this forms the development’s design blueprint. Four additional house types were developed by the architects and manufactured for the scheme. Construction started in early 2006 and was completed in Summer 2007.
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