Land at former St Mary's School

The site became surplus to the school’s requirements in 2020. Surveys of the pitches have concluded the surface is very poor quality. This vacant site presents a rare opportunity to deliver much-needed affordable homes, including houses, within the wider Southampton City area, helping address the city’s deficit of 7,500 affordable homes.

The loss of the poor quality private playing pitches will provide a wider benefit of new homes, extensive open space (including a parkland area and play equipment), as well as contributing to improvements to wider,  accessible, sport provision across the city.

We propose to deliver 84 new homes for affordable rent and shared ownership.

The site access and local road network has been reviewed by our highway engineers. A safe and suitable access designed as a new T-junction arrangement off Monastery Road, is proposed.

New pedestrian access is proposed linking to the public footpath to the east of the site and Beech Avenue to the south

Sovereign Housing Association will be using the land to build much-needed quality homes for shared ownership and affordable rent.

The site will secure at least 35% (29) of the homes as affordable homes via a legal deed in line with council policies. Sovereign have identified the site to allocate a secured grant to deliver all the remaining homes as affordable.

Shared Ownership is a housing scheme designed to help homebuyers who are unable to afford the cost of buying a property outright on the open market. Shared Ownership gives buyers the opportunity to purchase a share in a new build property.

Also referred to as part buy/part rent, shared ownership allows buyers to purchase a share of a home – usually between 25% and 75%. Purchasers will pay a mortgage on the share that they own, and rent to Sovereign on the remainder, along with any service charge and ground rent.

The properties for rent will be available at a more affordable rent than the local level of housing market rents.

The proposal includes an element of flats  but predominantly two and three bedroomed family houses.  The houses will be 2 storey with flats of up to 3 storeys.

Materials will be drawn from the local area – stock bricks in red and brown below clay tile roofs.

• 82 homes including houses and flats with significant provision of affordable homes for affordable home ownership and rent.
• A third of the site area opened to the public as managed amenity space, including an equipped play area set within a parkland landscape.
• Energy efficient, fully electrified sustainable homes.
• Improved pedestrian connectivity.
• Net gain in biodiversity.
• Supporting investment in local sports provision.

New homes can put pressure on local parking, which is why we’re providing 168 spaces for residents and visitors of the proposed development. We will also be providing a secure cycle storage space for each home.

Sovereign is a leading housing association, setting the very highest standards for affordable homes and places people want to live in line with their own Homes and Place Standard. 

To achieve this, Sovereign has ensured that all gardens for the proposed houses meet or exceed Southampton City Council's standards for private garden space in terms of both overall garden size and garden depth. All flats include private balconies in line with design guidance. A large area of public amenity space with play space provided in a parkland setting is also created in the proposed development, adding additional green space that can be shared and enjoyed by the community.

Sovereign takes a sustainable approach to the delivery of homes and places to achieve a positive impact on the environment and the community.

The scheme will seek to reduce consumption of non-renewable energy looking at the fabric efficiencies of the building. The houses will be delivered with air source heat pumps and our homes are also designed to reduce water consumption.

Our open spaces incorporate sustainable drainage solutions whilst our landscaping strategy will improve and create new habitats seeking to deliver an overall net gain in biodiversity.

We plan to submit a planning application with the aim of receiving a planning decision by the end of 2022, with the view to starting work on site during 2023. The first homes would be ready for occupation by the end of 2023. These timescales are all subject to planning approval being obtained.

We understand that having construction activity nearby can be inconvenient, but we’ll work to minimise any disruption to the surrounding area. We are committed to working closely with the local community to understand any concerns you may have.

Sovereign has considerable experience of working within communities and is part of the Considerate Contractors Scheme – a national initiative which means that the site will be monitored against a code of considerate practice. Our appointed contractor will put in place detailed plans to manage safety in and around the site. These plans will consider the impact of construction traffic, working hours on site, parking for construction workers and site security.

It is important to us that the contractors we employ maintain a safe, secure and tidy environment at all times. Any issues or concerns can be raised directly with the site management team or via Sovereign.