Out of the ashes

When a fire destroyed a flagship affordable housing scheme in Hatfield, the stage was set for the development partners to really show what they were made of.

The result proved quite a comeback – earning some well-deserved plaudits

The showbiz adage that ‘the show must go on’ proved most apt for the ‘cast and crew’ putting together an affordable housing scheme in Hatfield. Despite the devastating fire that swept through the development, situated on the site of the old Forum theatre on Lemsford Road, they were determined that this unexpected drama would not prevent the successful delivery of the scheme.

As it was, it all had a happy ending, with the development going on to completion only six months behind its original schedule, and earning the partners behind the project a nomination in the Affordable Home Ownership Awards last year.

The partners in question are Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (WHBC), developer St Modwen, the Homes & Communities Agency (formerly English Partnerships), and Metropolitan Housing Partnership (MHP). The trio had been working together since 2000, redeveloping the town centre, and The Forum was conceived as an essential component of the regeneration.

Completed early last year, The Forum provides 84 flats in three blocks. Of these, a third were made available to affordable sale for the New Build Home Buy scheme, through Metropolitan Home Ownership.

In its heyday as a theatre in the 1960s and 70s, it was “quite a venue” according to Stacey Brewer, the council’s head of housing strategy and development. She added: “It had some big names, though people might not remember them now, such as Petula Clark and Barbara Dickson.” Indeed, one of the blocks was named after Dickson OBE, as a way of commemorating that theatrical heritage.

Development was progressing well, with the properties about six months away from delivery when disaster struck.

“When the buildings were at the second fit stage, the whole site burned down,” Brewer said. It is perhaps a developer’s worst nightmare, but the experience enabled the multi-agency partnership to demonstrate its strengths – not to mention its resilience in the face of adversity – and was able to pull together to resurrect The Forum, delivering the properties only some six months later than originally planned.

“Because it was put together using off-site provision and on-site assembly, it wasn’t a case of having to build up again brick by brick from the foundations,” Brewer said. “The parts were brought in from the manufacturer, so we placed a second order which they were able to produce that quickly. It is our own phoenix – it has arisen from the ashes.”

In one sense, however, the fire turned out to be something of a boon: it certainly caught people’s attention and made them aware of the new properties, prompting a flood of interest once the ‘phoenix’ had risen. This unexpected twist only added to the triumph.

Given the current economic climate, the delivery of The Forum was something of a double victory. Not only did the partners overcome the disaster of the fire, but the completion of 84 units also challenged the recessionary doldrums – providing a welcome morale boost as the forthcoming development programme for 2010/11 was put together.

The Forum also played a major part in the partners being shortlisted in the Best Development Partnership category at last year’s Affordable Home Ownership Awards, held in September. Though they didn’t scoop the prize on the night, it was nevertheless well-received as a ringing endorsement of the partnership’s strengths. Surely all the more satisfying given the unexpected crisis they had faced with the fire.

Certainly, the council’s executive member for housing, Councillor Roger Trigg was very proud of the nomination. He said: “To be shortlisted in this category is testament to the dedicated support of the partnership to meet their objective, and how they worked together to deliver a truly superb development for Hatfield. It’s just a shame that we didn’t win!”

Of course, one might say that they won where it mattered most – in the delivery of new homes. It’ll be all right on the night, one might say. Clearly, the members of the partnership are entitled to take a bow.