This project provides fifty much needed new low energy council homes, with a mix of houses and flats, and also refurbishes the fabric of five existing maisonettes, for the existing Stocking Farm community. Part of a residential area to the north west of Leicester city centre Stocking Farm developed to meet post-war housing need for an expanding city.

Defined by the City Mayor as an “exemplar project” the aim is to realise a new generation of council homes for Leicester City Council that set a new higher standard, providing healthy, bright and well designed homes that are warm, properly ventilated and with very low running costs for residents, satisfying the need for low carbon homes in construction and use. South facing facades have solar shading, maintaining internal comfort and making the homes climate change resilient.

Designs retain the existing mature trees on the site and the public footpath (right of way) that links the community north to south. The path adjoins a new focal Community open space, with play spaces, new planting and seating, resulting from Community co-design workshops, and developed following multiple community engagement events, in person and using online survey tools.

Alongside new homes the scheme has seen the upgrading of an existing Community Centre to include a new “Community Shop” providing reduced cost food and provisions to community members and a local low cost cafe.  The existing parade of 1950’s shops and maisonettes is retained, rejuvenated and extended to create a dense quadrangle of mixed use retail and new homes.  With eight new flats, of which two are fully accessible, and three mews houses, improved stair access, bike and recycling stores, the changes make an active frontage to four elevations and removes poor quality “backs” that encouraged antisocial behaviour.

A handsome locally listed Victorian Farmhouse, that gives the area its name,  is converted and re-used to provide new homes. Removing a large area of hardstanding car park, the renovated Farmhouse overlooks a new garden to the south, flanked by two wings of apartments providing homes for Adult Social Care tenants, two of which are fully wheelchair accessible with EV car charging points. Every apartment has its own front door avoiding the maintenance demands and costs of communal spaces. Recycled brick and concrete from on site demolitions is formed into gabion retaining walls.

Four terraces of 2, 3, and 4 bed family homes front a new active traffic calmed street that meanders from north to south. Two fully wheelchair accessible homes are provided with off street parking but all other homes share on street parking, 20% of which have EV chargers. Homes are 100% Council tenanted, with no private homes for sale.

Terraced homes have a reduced form factor, reducing heat losses, and materials in construction.  The project includes MVHR, Air Source heat pumps and solar panels to all homes, and achieves 10% Biodiversity Net gain on site, with at least one new tree planted for every new home, with green flat roofs and species rich grasses to communal green spaces. In energy terms, the housing will perform better than current Building Regulations and achieve LETI and RIBA 2030 targets.