Due to the size and location of this project within Peterborough, it has generated a great deal of interest from the local community, local government and also the housing corporations. This has resulted in the project team taking a proactive role to ensure that the project not only achieves its objectives but also provides the type of facilities that the local community requires.

Other significant challenges include working with three separate clients on the project, with each client having specific requirements for the residential, Extra Care and Primary Care facilities. It was essential throughout the project to maintain a balance between the team thus ensuring all the clients’ requirements were implemented into the project.

Other challenges experienced throughout the scheme included satisfying the requirements of all the local authorities, working within a busy existing residential area and also ensuring that the open space satisfied the interests of Sport England.

The project involves the design and construction of 79 Dwellings, 40 Bed Extra Care Facility, Primary Health Care Facility, 1.1 hectares of Recreational Space plus all the associated infrastructure, drainage and service requirements.  The project is to be procured on a two stage Design and Build basis.

The dwellings are a mixture of affordable housing and for sale units, ranging in size from 4 bedroom terraced houses to 2 bedroom apartments. The Extra Care Facility is a mixture of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments plus providing tenants with open areas, a convenience store and hairdressers. The Primary Care Facility will be a 3 story building providing GP Consultant rooms, multi treatment areas for specialist practitioners plus a dental practice. The open space area will provide a multi use games area, a children’s activity playground and a large area of open space.

This project will involve different methods of construction for each type of building, the dwellings will be constructed using timber frame, the Extra Care Facility will be constructed using traditional construction methods whilst the Primary Care Facility will be constructed using a supporting steel frame.

In consideration of the scale of the project and the need to meet the overall objectives of all the clients, Davis Langdon implemented a number of measures including:

• Implementation of a change control process involving all three clients and the contractor
• Implementing value engineering workshops and value engineering processes to monitor all savings thus ensuring that the project is delivered within budget but also not affecting the overall design of the project

Due to the nature of the project and the associated risks with working with three separate clients on a single project, a risk register was implemented and monitored to ensure that all risks were identified and appropriate action was taken to close out the risks

Due to the project nature, a contractor was appointed in a two stage tender process; this resulted in the client, management team and design team working closely to ensure that the project was delivered in the quickest and most affordable manner. The project was completed in October 2008.