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4th July 2007
AWARD-WINNING LEICESTER DEVELOPMENT OPENS
A former hosiery factory dating from the 19th century in the heart of Leicester’s vibrant city centre, is celebrating a new lease of life having been converted into 40 smart ‘city living’ style apartments together with a ground floor retail unit.
Fabric, Yeoman Street, Leicester
The £4.8m Fabric apartment scheme, located on the corner of Yeoman Street and Yeoman Lane, was officially opened by architect, Anthony Goddard, the grandson of the architect who designed the original building in 1902. The Goddard family boasts six generations of architects and has designed many of Leicester’s significant buildings including The Clock Tower (1868), Lansdowne House (1862) on Regent Road, Leicestershire Banking Co. (1872-4) (now HSBC Bank) on Bishop Street and Bosworth Hall (1839-40) in Market Bosworth.
Mr Goddard said,
“It is great to see both our Victorian heritage but also my grandfather’s work not only being preserved, but also being put to such good use. I recall when I was a student in Leicester in the 60’s that it was very much the fashion to pull down what were, no doubt, excellent Victorian buildings, and replace them with ill-considered and faceless new buildings. This building has stood the test of time and is a further contribution to the emerging new Cultural Quarter of Leicester - come back in a year’s time and with the completion of the new theatre complex just around the corner, the first stage of Leicester’s re-emergence will be complete.”
The Fabric building is a partnership project between Loughborough-based builder and developer, William Davis Ltd, Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) and LETS Select Ltd, NCHA’s commercial subsidiary, and is surrounded by some of the city’s most fashionable bars and restaurants. The redevelopment was partially funded by the Housing Corporation, who provided £1.3m.
The former Victorian factory has been successfully converted into an award-winning development of one and two bedroom apartments - one to wheelchair standard - together with a ground floor retail unit. Fourteen apartments are available for shared ownership, 10 for affordable rent and 16 for sale. The bottom storey of the building provides parking for the apartments. Yeoman Street is within the Leicester Regeneration area, and developers have ensured it retains its external façade and distinctive roofline in sympathy with existing buildings in the locale.
The scheme recently achieved the prestigious Green Apple Environmental Award presented by Professor David Bellamy at a special ceremony, recognising its contribution to the architectural heritage of the city centre.
Commenting on behalf of NCHA, Chief Executive, Mike Andrews, said,
“NCHA is pleased to have worked on this project in the St. Georges Regeneration area alongside Leicester Regeneration Company, Leicester City Council, The Housing Corporation and William Davis Ltd. Our combined efforts have brought back into use a significant and prominent Victorian building and provided high quality homes to meet a range of housing needs in this area of the city.”
Guy Higgins, managing director, William Davis Ltd, said, “It is always a pleasure to work with a building of this nature, not only guaranteeing its longevity and preserving Leicester’s Heritage, but providing much needed sustainable accommodation within the City Centre. We pride ourselves on attention to detail when dealing with regeneration schemes, and this fine building on Yeoman Street is no exception, this fact also having been endorsed by receiving the Green Apple Award for Architectural Heritage.”
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Mr Goddard said,
“It is great to see both our Victorian heritage but also my grandfather’s work not only being preserved, but also being put to such good use. I recall when I was a student in Leicester in the 60’s that it was very much the fashion to pull down what were, no doubt, excellent Victorian buildings, and replace them with ill-considered and faceless new buildings. This building has stood the test of time and is a further contribution to the emerging new Cultural Quarter of Leicester - come back in a year’s time and with the completion of the new theatre complex just around the corner, the first stage of Leicester’s re-emergence will be complete.”
The Fabric building is a partnership project between Loughborough-based builder and developer, William Davis Ltd, Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) and LETS Select Ltd, NCHA’s commercial subsidiary, and is surrounded by some of the city’s most fashionable bars and restaurants. The redevelopment was partially funded by the Housing Corporation, who provided £1.3m.
The former Victorian factory has been successfully converted into an award-winning development of one and two bedroom apartments - one to wheelchair standard - together with a ground floor retail unit. Fourteen apartments are available for shared ownership, 10 for affordable rent and 16 for sale. The bottom storey of the building provides parking for the apartments. Yeoman Street is within the Leicester Regeneration area, and developers have ensured it retains its external façade and distinctive roofline in sympathy with existing buildings in the locale.
The scheme recently achieved the prestigious Green Apple Environmental Award presented by Professor David Bellamy at a special ceremony, recognising its contribution to the architectural heritage of the city centre.
Commenting on behalf of NCHA, Chief Executive, Mike Andrews, said,
“NCHA is pleased to have worked on this project in the St. Georges Regeneration area alongside Leicester Regeneration Company, Leicester City Council, The Housing Corporation and William Davis Ltd. Our combined efforts have brought back into use a significant and prominent Victorian building and provided high quality homes to meet a range of housing needs in this area of the city.”
Guy Higgins, managing director, William Davis Ltd, said, “It is always a pleasure to work with a building of this nature, not only guaranteeing its longevity and preserving Leicester’s Heritage, but providing much needed sustainable accommodation within the City Centre. We pride ourselves on attention to detail when dealing with regeneration schemes, and this fine building on Yeoman Street is no exception, this fact also having been endorsed by receiving the Green Apple Award for Architectural Heritage.”
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