Key Facts
- Client: Your Homes Newcastle
- Balfour Beatty company involved: Mansell
- In 2005, Mansell was appointed as one of the framework contractors by Your Homes Newcastle, which is responsible for the £600 million, six-year Decent Homes programme in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in north-east England
- Mansell’s project to deliver the external elements of the programme is valued at £8-10 million per year for five years
- The Grade II-listed Byker Wall Estate, designed in the late 1960s by architect Ralph Erskine, is included in this remit as well as several multi-storey tower blocks
- The Byker Wall Estate of some 2,500 homes was radically different for its time, not only for its striking architecture but also in the way that local people were involved in the design process
- All works are undertaken in accordance with the conservation plan for the estate.
- Mansell worked closely with the planners and members of Erskine’s original design team to match the palette of 17 paint colours
- Work includes replacing windows and external doors, plus repairs to roofs, balconies, rainwater goods, concrete, brickwork and timber. It also includes minor environmental works and external decoration
- The style of features such as front doors, windows and timber cladding was also replicated, but to modern specifications and successfully working around the unusual shapes of the buildings
- A major priority was looking after residents, each of whom the Resident Liaison Officer (RLO) met to assess their situations - a vital benefit for the elderly
- An integrated approach between Mansell, the client and the supply chain resulted in cost and time savings without sacrificing design intentions
- A residents’ feedback form helped monitor and improve the business’s customer service and the team’s efforts were rewarded with a Bronze Considerate Constructors Award in 2007
