Residents help design the future for Midsummer
Not everyone can be an architect. And we don’t expect our residents to think like builders. But when you’re talking about the homes that you live in, we value the comments you make about its design and how well you think it’s been constructed. That’s why we’re inviting our residents that are living in properties less than four years old to be members of our Residents’ Design Panel.
The first meeting was on Thursday 16 August, and was attended by a mix of tenants and shared owners, two of our Board members (who also sit on the Development Committee), representatives from our Development team, and Sarah Bascombe, an architect from PRP.
There was a mix of expertise and interests around the table, with one resident working for an interior design company and another interested in sustainable living, but what everyone had in common was a shared desire to see Midsummer produce homes to high quality standards which meet residents’ aspirations. Other objectives of the Panel are to:
- Ensure Midsummer is designing homes which are attractive and cost-effective.
- Ensure Midsummer is designing energy efficient homes that aim to minimise running costs for residents.
- Input into Midsummer’s design brief - that describes the minimum internal and external standards that new homes must be built to.
- Contribute to Midsummer’s commitment and work towards the development of sustainable communities.
John Kiely, Head of Development at Midsummer, was chairing the meeting. He explained to everyone how important their input is, however insignificant it might seem at the time.
“It’s the smaller details that we might miss out on if we don’t listen to what our residents are telling us. We want to keep learning so that our homes keep getting better.”
Being a member of the Residents’ Design Panel gives you the opportunity to attend meetings, comment on new ideas and policies and help shape the future of Midsummer’s design.
If you would be interested in being a member of the Panel, please contact Caroline Borton on 01908 544786 or e-mail caroline.borton@midsummer.org.
