Public Consultation – Cambridge Road Estate

Cambridge Road is a Joint Venture with the Royal Borough of Kingston which will deliver 2,170 new high quality ‘greener’ homes, new gardens, play areas, streets, improved community facilities, new jobs and local training opportunities, and an enhanced estate layout to provide a brighter, safer neighbourhood.  

In March 2020 Countryside and the Royal Borough of Kingston achieved an 86% ballot turnout with 73% voting in favour of the regeneration of their estate.  This exceptionally strong mandate was the product of close collaboration between the council and Kingston utilising our respective talents and experience to build a high level of trust and the delivery of a clear offer to transform their housing and environment. 

Countryside and the council worked closely together to develop and execute a carefully considered engagement and communications strategy. Members of the Countryside development and community teams were based on the estate and on hand to answer residents’ questions through a range of engagement methods including workshops, exhibitions, visits to other Countryside developments and informal events such as art fairs and quiz nights.  

Over 40 languages are spoken on the site and therefore translation services were offered from the offset to maximise engagement. Communication was achieved through a range of methods signed off by both parties.  

Countryside and Kingston’s housing team established a residents’ hub early in on in the project at the start of public engagement as a visible and readily accessible hub for residents to meet with the co-located RB Kingston and Countryside team.  A mock-up Kitchen and Bathroom was built by Countryside in an empty retail unit adjacent to the hub to demonstrate the quality and internal specification choices that residents would benefit from. The area also included a touchscreen TV system allowing residents who could not join the physical visits to other Countryside projects to take virtual tours.