Neighbourhood-making and community heritage in Whitleigh, Plymouth

Title: Modern methods of construction for community building: a demonstrator project with Whitleigh Community Trust, Plymouth

Funded by: Get Involved Awards

Funding amount: £6,945

Location: Whitleigh, Plymouth

Dates: July 2024 – March 2025

Project partners: Whitleigh Community Trust (Pippa St John Cooper), Wessex Community Assets (Tim Crabtree), Open Systems Lab (Amber Richardson)

University of Plymouth PI/Co-I:

Dr Alejandro Veliz Reyes

University of Plymouth staff: Lana Pericic (Research Assistant), Duhan Olmez (Research Fellow), Finn Woodrow (Student Ambassador)

Summary

Whitleigh is one of seven estates built in Plymouth 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 (Plymouth Museum) to uncover the rich history of modern construction in our local estates, and collectively engage in neighbourhood-making.

Objectives

Promote community engagement with modern methods of construction as a pathway to urban retrofit opportunities.

Disseminate the industrial heritage of local housing estates and, in doing so, consider contemporary opportunities for housebuilding innovation with local communities.

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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth (both geographically, but also in terms of employment opportunity and access to services).

Whitleigh was the first of Plymouth'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.

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.

Addressing global challenges through the lens of place

Plymouth'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.