JDDK Millmount News Winter Edition 2023 DIGITAL S8 (SINGLE PAGES) - Flipbook - Page 11
Byker Community Trust, Karbon Homes
We are currently working with Byker Community Trust, part of
Karbon Homes, on updating the external environment of the Grade
II* Listed Byker Estate.
After carrying out our initial research and assessment we identi昀椀ed
the main signi昀椀cance of the Byker Estate was not just in its visually
interesting aesthetic, but also in the innovative way it was designed,
by the acclaimed architect Ralph Erskine in the 1970’s. Ralph
believed the estate should be designed with the community for
the community, and set up his of昀椀ce in the middle of the estate
so residents could pop in and talk about what they wanted their
community to look like. This level of public consultation was unheard
of in the 70s, and his approach has no doubt in昀氀uenced attitudes
around public consultations and social housing today. Considering
the feedback he received, he developed the estate separating it into
eleven neighbourhoods.
In keeping with the signi昀椀cance of the project today, we have been
engaging the Byker Estate residents in our proposals much like
Ralph did in the 1970s. We divided the project into the same eleven
neighbourhoods, and after liaison with the residents and Council’s
Conservation team, we have agreed designs and submitted a
planning application for the 昀椀rst neighbourhood. The project feels
like it has come full circle, as our co-founder David Kendall was an
apprentice on the project with Ralph Erskine in the original Byker
Estate designs over 昀椀fty years ago.
CGI of regeneration plans for Grade II Listed Byker Estate
Winter 2023. Millmount. 11