Neighbourhood-making and community heritage in Whitleigh, ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú

A demonstrator project on modern methods of construction for community building with Whitleigh Community Trust
Whitleigh community members working on a housing model activity
Title: Modern methods of construction for community building: a demonstrator project with Whitleigh Community Trust, ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú
Funded by: Get Involved Awards
Funding amount: £6,945
Location: Whitleigh, ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú
Dates: July 2024 – March 2025
Project partners: Whitleigh Community Trust (Pippa St John Cooper), Wessex Community Assets (Tim Crabtree), Open Systems Lab (Amber Richardson)
¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú PI/Co-I: Dr Alejandro Veliz Reyes  
¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú staff: Lana Pericic (Research Assistant), Duhan Olmez (Research Fellow), Finn Woodrow (Student Ambassador)
 

Summary

Whitleigh is one of seven estates built in ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú to address the housing shortage after the Blitz. The peak of modernity at the time, Whitleigh was built using a series of locally manufactured, prefabricated building solutions, such as Cornish Units, which were later declared 'defective' and are today in need of retrofit and repair. 
This project is a partnership with Whitleigh Community Trust, and aims to rediscover the local community heritage of industrial construction to engage with residents and future visions for their neighbourhood through construction innovation and modern methods of construction. 
In an exhibition, we showcased our work on modern methods of construction and presented archival material sourced from The Box (¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú Museum) to uncover the rich history of modern construction in our local estates, and collectively engage in neighbourhood-making.

Objectives

  1. Promote community engagement with modern methods of construction as a pathway to urban retrofit opportunities.
  2. Disseminate the industrial heritage of local housing estates and, in doing so, consider contemporary opportunities for housebuilding innovation with local communities.
  3. Build and exhibit a demonstrator structure using modern methods of construction, and deliver engagement opportunities with the local community.

Context of the issue

Whitleigh is one of the 10 most deprived communities in ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú and, being north of the A38, is often underserved by local levelling-up initiatives, and tends to be disconnected from the core fabric of the city of ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú (both geographically, but also in terms of employment opportunity and access to services). 
Whitleigh was the first of ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú's housing estates to be built during the rehousing project after the Second World War, and it comprises a large number of houses from this period that are in need of repair and refurbishment. There is also a need for additional housing units. It is, overall, a context where housing innovation is needed not only to support the affordability and repair of housing units, but to address broader issues on employment, access and marginalisation.
Whitleigh estate being constructed after the Second World War

How the project addresses the issue

The aim of the project is to explore opportunities for neighbourhood-led retrofitting in Whitleigh, and doing so with consideration of local place-based conditions (such as pride in place) and architectural heritage. 
As a result, we expect to leverage existing creativity in the community, as well as to rethink the application of modern methods of construction for social good – for example, by promoting the creation of local skills and employment opportunities, and better quality housing.
Whitleigh residents working on a housing modelling project

Community engagement in Whitleigh

On 17–18 February 2025 we conducted a community engagement event in Whitleigh, including a sample of Wikihouse blocks and a demonstrator house structure, archival material on the construction of the neighbourhood accessed through The Box, and a film screening of , by Jill Craigie. 
Members of the community, trustees, and staff from the ¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú City Council were able to see first-hand the construction of modular buildings, and generate a collective understanding of the benefits of modern methods of construction for housebuilding. We expect to implement these solutions in the delivery of 10 affordable housing units in Lancaster Gardens.
Whitleigh project
 
 
 
 

Partners

Addressing global challenges through the lens of place

¾«Æ·ÎÞÂë¹ú²ú×Ô²ú's cross-institutional place-based research aligns with government agendas for people and place, as well as UKRI and British Academy priorities. 
A critical mass of Social sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE) researchers in collaboration with Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) colleagues are tackling global challenges associated with health, marine and sustainability.
 
Place-based research concept: crowd of people standing on a computer motherboard.