New Accessible Housing Build – Live Updates
As many of you will know, we are building new, accessible homes for adults with learning disabilities and autism. The first house-building phase in Pennyland, Milton Keynes, is in progress as part of our Capital Plan expansion programme at Camphill MK.
Local contractors Watson & Cox are the leading contractors bringing to life the plans created by architects Devonshire Architects.
We want to keep everyone informed, so here is the latest news on the build.
3.3.25
The last remaining jobs are happening this week. We are so close to opening the new accessible home at Pennyland.
28.2.25
The new gabion walls are looking fantastic!
21.2.25
We’ve had the air tested at the new site in Pennyland!
Air tightness, or permeability, is a key measure of building energy efficiency. Fresh air is important, but heating energy can be wasted if cold air is allowed to leak into rooms without any control. Achieving low air permeability requires careful management of design details by site teams, and good standards of workmanship. The design of the new Camphill residences at Michael’s Akyre (Pennyland) set a low target of 3 (lower numbers indicate better air tightness standards: 0 is completely airtight, and current building regulations set a maximum of 8).
Watson & Cox have recently tested the newly constructed Bradbury House and achieved 2.5. This is a fantastic result and a testament to the quality of the building they are soon to hand over to Camphill.
Fresh air into the living spaces is controlled through heat recovery ventilation fans. These recover heat from bathrooms and kitchens and transfer it to the air supplied into bedrooms and common areas.
17.2.25
Block paving is now complete, and we’re expecting the site clearance this week.
Phase One of planting is also complete, with extra turf work to follow. We love the new wonky hedge and our first new tree.
Also, the air source heat pumps are operational, so the underfloor heating can be turned on!
16.2.25
Great news! We’re making excellent progress.
The damp-proof membrane on all floors went in before the latex covering was completed.
The fire alarm works also commenced, with many millennium falcon-esque mechanical controls in the plant room.
15.2.25
The bathrooms are looking fantastic!
12.2.25
KJ Hill Ltd. installed soundproofing with Trepanel oak acoustic wood panels at Pennyland. The finishing touches look great!
10.2.25
Excellent progress is being made at Pennyland!
Gabion baskets have been cleaned, block paving is in progress, the ‘builder’s clean’ is ongoing and we now have operational lights on the ground floor.
3.2.25
Good progress is being made on-site at Pennyland. The air source heat pumps are going in as planned, which is great news. We’re so close!
27.1.25
Gaboon walls are taking shape and looking fantastic!
24.1.25
The external staircase is progressing well, despite the high winds on Friday.
23.1.25
More progress is being made in Pennyland. Wall tiling for the ensuites is nearly complete. Gabion baskets are progressing well, and preparations are being made for the canopy glass.
16.1.25
Our contractors, local building firm Watson & Cox, have been working hard to build new accessible homes for adults with learning and physical disabilities. The family-run building company is currently building the first of five houses in Pennyland, which will become part of our community.
When we began conversations, Watson & Cox clarified that it was very important to work as partners and be ‘neighbourly’ to the people surrounding the site. The accessible homes project was signed up for the ambitious Considerate Constructors Scheme, a programme most frequently used by major developers and house builders. The Scheme focuses on three core areas: respect for the community, care for the environment, and valuing their workforce. Their January 2025 inspection returned with an ‘excellent’ score of 40/45, celebrating their consideration of the neighbours concerning noise levels, management of construction traffic to minimise disruption and their understanding of and communication adaptation to engage with individuals with learning disabilities.
Watson & Cox’s contract manager, Matt Cooper, said, “This is a very special project for us, and housing is incredibly important to the charity in supporting people with disabilities. I am very proud of the team at Watson & Cox and the way colleagues have come together to meet our ambitious targets set for Considerate Constructor”.
The accessible homes have environmental priorities at the forefront, with Solar PV, green roofs, micro-piling, heat source pumps, and onsite spoiling. Their inspection for Considerate Constructor also recognised their clear and strong plans for mapping ecology and managing biodiversity to ensure the end product of the build sees increased levels of flora and fauna on site.
Our resident, Vicky, said, “I live around the corner and like seeing the house being built. Some of my friends from Camphill will move into the new house because the current houses have too many stairs, and the rooms aren’t big enough for beds with support.”
Local resident Carla said, “We walk past this each day, and it’s exciting seeing the progress! My daughter loves the diggers.”
10.1.25 – Big January Update
What a great start to 2025!
Watson & Cox Construction is pushing along with our wonderful building.
There is lots of activity on site, with SJD Associates Ltd in every cavity, Northants Flooring Ltd preparing floors, and MARSH CONSTRUCTION (LUTON) LIMITED doing what they do best: making sure vital services have an entrance point to our site.
Excitingly, the kitchen is being fitted!
Anglian Water has installed the non-standard fire hydrant, ready for domestic connection. The installation of our big blue tap was an incredible success!
Our BT box has been installed and is en route to the energy centre.
The sluice room is live with power, the cupboards are ready for the quartz worktop next week, and the vinyl is laid.
After five weeks, the electricians will continue with the submeters, and we now have live sockets, which will save time in the mornings setting up the site power-off generators.
We are so happy with the progress!
19.12.24
We were delighted to invite our brilliant Trustees to walk around our new homes at Pennyland. They are vital to our charity, so we want them to be involved as much as possible.
13.12.24
We’re very excited to see the external preparations progressing well. The first load of paving is on site, with a second delivery happening this week. We also have a pleased painter doing the mist coat to the bedrooms.
9.12.24
Big thanks to KJ Hill Ltd for their support on the site with SFS, plastering, dry lining and screeding. Plastering the downstairs bedrooms is complete and the kitchen is next.
6.12.24
We are so pleased with the progress of Phase 1a on our new accessible home project in Pennyland. The stonework looks fantastic!
29.11.24
Big thanks to Jake from MK Community Foundation for popping in for a hard hat tour of our new Pennyland development.
MK Community Foundation is kindly funding accessibility elements of the building, including a state-of-the-art accessible lift. The foundation is making a significant impact in funding in the community, which is made possible by their fantastic donors and fundholders. We are fortunate to have such a committed funder on our doorstep!
26.11.24
We’re making excellent progress at our Pennyland site. The scaffold has come down on schedule and we’re so pleased with the results unveiling the fantastic limestone building
The glazing has also gone in and the building continues to take shape. It’s going to make for a wonderful home for our residents when completed.
4.11.24
With the roof complete, the new solar PV installation on block 1a in Pennylands has been installed, which will help the development to decarbonise. The green roof will be sewn with lots of wildlife-friendly seeds in the spring of 2025.
2.11.24
Watson & Cox donated many used pallets from our Pennyland site. Our Facilities Team (Tom and Simon) brought them to the Willen site rather than disposing of them. Our Gardens Workshop team spent a few days dismantling them, which residents Eddie, Matthew, Chris and Rooh really enjoyed! We will use the wood to make various garden items, such as planters and bug hotels over the winter.
28.10.24
Resident Nicky Visits the Pennylands Site
Support Worker Roy knows how much our resident Nicky loves architecture, building practice and construction. He asked if Nicky could come and have a look at the Pennyland building site to get an understanding of it, as he really loves construction.
We asked Nicky to bring one of his models, which he showed to Richard from Watson & Cox. Richard then showed Nicky the building plans and toured Nicky around the site with Roy and Stuart.
It was an excellent opportunity for Nicky to rationalise the building and share the story of his involvement when Camphill MK was built in the 80s.
As some of you may know, Nicky is a fantastic model house builder. You can view some of his work here.
17.10.24
On Thursday (17th October) residents visited the new house at Pennyland, joining our VIPs to celebrate the roof being completed on the house. The celebration is called a Topping Out Ceremony and they were joined by the Mayor of Milton Keynes Marie Bradburn, funders of the house and our trustees.
14.10.24
Our residents living on Pennyland created a bug hotel as part of the noticeboard our contractors Watson & Cox provided to update people in the locality. We’re really pleased with their efforts and the noticeboard’s multi-function!
9.10.24
Our new Chair of Trustees, Elizabeth Sheldon, joined our CEO Tim Davies to see the installation of a beautiful piece of etched stone on the new house in Pennyland.
Elizabeth shared, “I have been passionate about Camphill MK and its residents for years and it is a pleasure to be able to use my experience and networks to support Camphill as it grows. I was honoured to be part of this etched stone which is from a local quarry and I am looking forward to taking on the role of Chair from January next year”.
27.9.24
This week saw the completion of the green roofs on both the Energy Centre and the accommodation building. The scaffold came down on the Energy Centre, and the first fix of electrics and stone masonry continued progressing well.
18.9.24
Keeping EVERYONE informed about our new build site in Pennyland is really important to us. Today, our Senior Leadership Team visited the build to hear from our contractors about the latest progress.
13.9.24
Work is progressing to install the first fix services. Partitioning to form the bathrooms is mostly completed on the ground floor. The Energy Centre roof is now complete too. Stonework to the front and side elevations is now at ground floor cill level.
4.9.24
Our residents got the opportunity to lay stones and become a part of the new building project on our Pennyland site.
We love that they carved their names into some of the stones and became a part of the building itself.
We’re so thankful to our construction partners, Watson & Cox Construction and Gary Cook and his stonemason team for their help in facilitating!
2.9.24
Great detailing on stone setting out!
29.8.24
The roof structure is coming on nicely. The insulation and roof coverings are on site and ready to go.
As well as the roof, the masonry is moving in the right direction with the stone plinths being laid and looking great.
The thought and care taken in the design, to build somehting special for the residents, will become more and more evident as this first block takes shape.
22nd August 2024
Here’s some high-quality brickwork by Jack Charles Brickwork on the development of our accessible home at Pennyland.
21st August 2024
We requested a community notice board to stand off the red route on our Pennyland site. Our construction partners, Watson & Cox Construction, kindly obliged.
Soon, it will be filled with news and notices, which we hope will be useful to the community.
20th August 2024
The past few weeks have been a hive of activity on our Pennyland site. Our construction partners, Watson & Cox Construction, are working hard and diligently to stay on schedule.
They are proceeding with fire protection works, carpentry to the roof and builder’s works for mechanicals and electricals. The stone material is also on-site, and we’re so happy with the progress.
13th August 2024
Read all about our new accessible housing build project to suitably support more adults with learning disabilities and autism on MKFM!
8th August 2024
Whilst the sun was out, our Tim and Lucy welcomed The Parks Trust CEO Victoria Miles MBE DL for a tour of our 1st house at Pennyland. The Parks Trust are important partners for us at Camphill MK Communities and we were delighted Victoria was able to spend some time with us.
This photo, although recent, is already a view that cannot be replicated as the blockwork forming the walls on the first floor is now complete.
Thank you to Matt Cooper and Richard Slinn for giving us a tour.
1st August 2024
Today our trustee sub group met with our CEO Tim at our phase 1 building site to review progress alongside our project manager Mark Eustace.
The building is looking amazing and we are well on track for delivering this essential accessible housing opening in early 2025!
Huge thanks to our construction partners Watson & Cox Construction for their hard work and diligence.
26th July 2024
Progress continues! Including attenuation crates for storm water. They will be installed this week. The scaffolding around the building is fully installed. The first floor walls / blockwork will start being constructed.
18th July 2024
Keeping you informed about the buidling activities in Pennyland is really important to us. The site entrance now has Camphill boards, to give local residents a better idea of who, what and why.
Today, we also had another site visit with three T Level students from MK College.
15th July 2024
Our project manager, Mark Eustace, is working with MK College and has two young men, Fego and Ishaan, placed with him. They are not just observers, but active participants in our project, gaining hands-on experience in the build and design process while pursuing technical qualifications. This week, they had the opportunity to visit the Camphill MK site. They spent the day with Mark, observing the current works, participating in a contractor meeting to discuss key milestones and delivery against the project plan, and meeting with Camphill MK trustees to report on any changes to the project, including achievements versus the milestone planner. Their contributions have been significant and we look forward to seeing their continued growth and development.
11th July 2024
Work is progressing well in the Pennyland site with completing of the masonry walls around the energy centre.
8th July 2024
Before, during and after photos of the first floor slab being poured.
Good work from:
TSI Structures Ltd (main frame)
MSW metal decking
MARSH CONSTRUCTION (LUTON) LIMITED undertook the pour.
Cemex provided the concrete in a timely manner.
Ramcrete Concrete Pumping Ltd the pump supplier.
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