Residents likely to live on the brand new development at Castlefield have a chance next Monday to hear all about the exciting plans for the scheme drawn up by the Wycombe-based housing association which will deliver it.

Many of the people who have had an input in the blueprint for the 188 one and two bedroom flats which will rise from the rubble when the present Castlefield star blocks in Pettifer Way and Chairborough Road are demolished will be at the event organised by Red Kite Community Housing at Castlefield between 6-8pm next Monday, June 17, to explain how the concept reaches far beyond the building of much needed new homes.

In a phone interview with the Bucks Free Press on Monday, one of the assistant directors of the housing association said the aim is to make Castlefield Mark II a flagship scheme not just for Red Kite but for public sector housing in general.

“Unlike most housebuilders undertaking a major development to change the dynamics of an entire geographic area, we are a non-profit making organisation,” said Mark Haines. “Our main concern isn’t driven by a need to balance the books.

“We won’t have to lower our sights to avoid finishing up in the red.

“The actual build cost of Castlefield will be around £40 million,” he said.

“During the lifetime of the scheme, we will be ploughing in a subsidy of £13.2 million from our own resources.

“Eighty six per cent will be affordable homes. The majority will be flats to rent at below the going rate charged by private landlords. Some will be for shared ownership – part rent, part buy – and some will be for sale on the open market.

“Outwardly there will be no difference between flats which are rented or those which are privately owned. They’ll all look the same.

“There will be a mixture of tenures in each group.

“I’d like to think some of the tenants who start off renting maybe a one-bed will move on to shared ownership and eventually end up buying their own home if that’s they want.

“The money raised from sales will help off-set the cost of the development.”

The usual strategy when embarking on public sector schemes of this kind has been turned on its head for the redevelopment of Castlefield, said the housing boss.

Instead of the priority being the number of units that can be squeezed onto a site regardless of whether they match the specific requirements of the future tenants, here the first consideration has been the human side: the new flats (plus eight houses) at Castlefield will be tailored to suit the needs of the different types of households whose homes they will become.

To give this ambitious concept the best chance of success, the architects of the scheme in the wider sense are taking steps to foster a sense of community and neighbourliness at the drawing board stage.

You laugh? Read on and discover what measures are being taken to put the development on the right footing from the word go

1: Employment opportunities. In the next few weeks Red Kite will be conducting a survey of companies on the nearby Cressex Business Park to find out the nature of each enterprise, the skills entailed and whether there are vacancies.

Mr Haines says: “We want to improve job opportunities for residents at Castlefield and deliver a doorstep ready workforce for the local business park.”

2: Specific training for career advancement: Tenants will be offered the chance to cultivate new skills through the housing association’s links with a community specialist trained to develop latent potential.

3: One of the chief objectives for Red Kite when designing the communal amenities is to encourage friendships among tenants through shared interests.

4: The proposed layout of the new development is both environmentally friendly and practical. The practical improvements include improved security, better lighting and traffic calming. There will be a newly equipped playground for kids, plenty of open space and improved access to the ten-acre Chairborough Road nature reserve.

As well as plants to encourage good guy insects to do their bit towards bio-diversity, there will be boxes for bats to set up home and tunnels dug out to enable badgers to travel around safely.

5: Mark Haines hopes a social hub will be established to foster participation in shaping the future of Castlefields as a welcoming place to live. He envisages the facility being run by the residents for the benefit of residents to develop a feeling of being part of a community where everyone who lives there no matter where they lived before, whether young or old or in between, enjoys a fulfilling lifestyle.

The planning application for the revitalised Castlefield development was submitted to Wycombe District Council this month.

The location for next Monday’s meeting is opposite the nature reserve in Chairborough Road. The event will be well sign-posted. The organisers are laying on refreshments in the hope of attracting a good response from locals and a high level of feedback.

Mr Haines says: “We want to improve job opportunities for residents at Castlefield and deliver a doorstep ready workforce for the local business park.”

2: Specific training for career advancement: Tenants will be offered the chance to cultivate new skills through the housing association’s links with a community specialist trained to develop latent potential.

3: One of the chief objectives for Red Kite when designing the communal amenities is to encourage friendships among tenants through shared interests.

4: The proposed layout of the new development is both environmentally friendly and practical. The practical improvements include improved security, better lighting and traffic calming. There will be a newly equipped playground for kids, plenty of open space and improved access to the ten-acre Chairborough Road nature reserve.

As well as plants to encourage good guy insects to do their bit towards bio-diversity, there will be boxes for bats to set up home and tunnels dug out to enable badgers to travel around safely.

5: Mark Haines hopes a social hub will be established to foster participation in shaping the future of Castlefield as a welcoming place to live. He envisages the facility being run by the residents for the benefit of residents to develop a feeling of being part of a community where everyone who lives there no matter where they lived before, whether young or old or in between, enjoys a fulfilling lifestyle.

The planning application for the revitalised Castlefield development was submitted to Wycombe District Council this month.

The location for next Monday’s meeting is opposite the nature reserve in Chairborough Road. The event will be well sign-posted. The organisers are laying on refreshments.