Curo News

Bath housing development rated an “unqualified success” by Building for a Healthy Life author

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 10:35:06 Z

Image above: drone shot of Mulberry Park, Bath

Curo’s Mulberry Park development of 700 homes, open spaces and community facilities in Bath was found to be an ”unqualified success” after being assessed against the Building for a Healthy Life principles, the country’s standard for creating neighbourhoods that are better for people and nature.

Design for Homes Chief Executive, David Birkbeck, is the author of the Building for a Healthy Life design code. David says: “It’s been tough to get round everything built this year but Mulberry Park was a joy to visit and the scheme we’d rank highest in England currently. It’s the perfect model of place-making, rather than just housebuilding, a neighbourhood that puts healthier lifestyles first, with streets and public spaces so well landscaped that people will want to use them for a leisurely walk either to its excellent facilities or the rest of Bath beyond.”

“It’s going to have everything, plenty of great quality open space like the future park and woodland walk, as well as pedestrian connections to the city centre and super-wide pavements with proper, mature street trees like you used to see. It also has so many services on site that residents need - the school, nursery, café and even work and employment space.”

The Building for a Healthy Life design code was developed in partnership with NHS England to encourage the planning of healthier lifestyles into new housing developments. The guidance promotes improved connections for walking, cycling and public transport, helping to cut pollution and enhance air quality.

Street scene at Mulberry Park, Bath

David says: “The street layout is so rational and beautifully landscaped, it’s got to be one of the best we’ve seen in decades for encouraging people to walk. If that helps people walk sometimes instead of taking the car every time, it’ll cut the number of pointless short car journeys that are driving up traffic and air pollution.

“There are also other design features to the homes that will make a real difference, such as recessed balconies for apartments. These offer more privacy, encouraging residents to use them more often and to sit outdoors when at home. The benefit of all that extra daylight in a decade or so of occupancy cannot be stressed enough.

“We consider the scheme to be an unqualified success, an extremely high-quality example of Building for a Healthy Life principles.”

Curo Chief Executive, Victor da Cunha, says: “More than 370 families now live at Mulberry Park and this growing community is going from strength to strength. We’re proud to be building a new neighbourhood that is futureproof, sustainable and that encourages and enables better health for its residents.”

Mulberry Way at Mulberry Park, Bath

New show home launches at Mulberry Park

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 16:54:36 Z

A new three-storey show home designed for city living has just been launched at the popular Mulberry Park development in Bath. The Bathwick show home is one of 12 townhouses which will look over the development’s highly anticipated park due to be fully open in 2023.

Homebuyers now have the opportunity to experience for themselves city living at Mulberry Park, by visiting the brand new Bathwick show home which is available to see by appointment only 10am – 5:30pm/7 days a week.

The Bathwick townhouses span 1,536sqft over three storeys, featuring an open plan living and kitchen/dining area with a balcony overlooking the future park on the first floor, and a master bedroom with en suite, two further bedrooms and a family bathroom on the top floor. The ground floor is occupied by the integrated garage, entrance lobby, a utility room, WC and plenty of storage space.

Jodie Winter, Curo Sales Manager, says: “These unique homes certainly have the ‘wow factor’. We’ve used Bath stone, complementary cream brick and wood panelling to create gorgeous frontages, while the large windows at the front of the properties will maximise the beautiful views over the future park and allow lots of natural light in.

“Our Bathwick homes are perfect for modern city living; both stylish and practical, they offer plenty of storage space and highly desirable open plan living. The townhouses start at £499,995 and we have just released new plots available for reservation now.

“If you’re in the market for a new home, have been dreaming about upsizing/downsizing or moving to a new area, there’s no time like the present to make it happen,” says Jodie. “Our friendly team at Mulberry Park can help you find your perfect home, whatever your requirements.

The stylish Bathwick show home can be visited by appointment only – to book a viewing go to www.curo-sales.co.uk, or contact the Curo sales team on 0345 140 5050.

Supporting the community through the Coronavirus lockdown

Mon, 04 May 2020 10:23:38 Z

Image above: Hub Events Coordinator, Gemma, delivering hot food and groceries with Curo's electric pool car.

Since the start of the Coronavirus lockdown, The Hub at Mulberry Park has had to close its doors to protect public health. But while classes and meetings have been temporarily suspended, the Hub’s team have quickly adapted to the new ‘normal’ and found other ways to support the communities of Mulberry Park, Foxhill and the wider Combe Down.

Exactly one week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the national lockdown, The Hub was launching its local delivery service of hot food and groceries.

Hub Manager, Lizzie Irvine, says: “We wanted to continue to support local residents and decided to bring our delicious Café products to their doorstep through a no-contact delivery service.

“We also knew that some of our community members may not be able to go out during this period and could be struggling to secure a delivery slot with the big supermarkets. That’s how we came up with the idea of adding a range of basic groceries, including fruit and vegetables, to our delivery service.”

Hub Facilities Manager, Richard, is also part of the delivery team during the Coronavirus lockdown.

To keep everyone safe, The Hub’s team are offering this service while strictly observing social distancing guidelines. Payments can only be made by card, over the telephone, and parcels are placed outside customers’ front doors.

There are two teams operating at The Hub on alternative days, to enable physical distancing and ensure deliveries can continue for as long as possible during lockdown.

The service has grown from three deliveries on the first day to more than 20 now, consisting of a mix of hot Café dishes and groceries.

Lizzie says: “The service has been very well received and is appreciated by the community. We’ve served a number of elderly members of the community who buy hot meals and groceries; one gentleman in Foxhill has been ordering something every day. Our most popular items are the hot special of the day, toasties and the groceries – particularly milk, butter, bread and eggs.”

Among customers there are also young families who can’t leave their homes, people self-isolating and key workers ordering lunch specials so they don’t have to cook after long shifts.

In addition, The Hub is now producing and delivering close to 40 hot meals every day to Curo residents in supported housing schemes in Bath.

The Hub is also supporting ‘Scrubs for the NHS’, providing a drop-off point for scrubs produced by members of the community for NHS workers. Volunteers help sort the scrubs in one of the rooms at The Hub, separate from any other people in the building.

Hub Manager Lizzie says they intend to keep these services going for as long as possible during the coronavirus crisis and are always looking for new and safe ways to support the community.

The Hub’s Café and groceries delivery service is available for local residents in Foxhill, Mulberry Park and Combe Down Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm. To place an order call 01225 436 869 - £5 minimum order, card payments only.

The Hub nominated for prestigious Bath Life award

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 11:15:58 Z

The Hub, Curo’s £10m community building at its Mulberry Park development in Bath, has been nominated for a prestigious Civic Award in Bath Life’s 2020 awards.

The Bath Life Awards celebrate the best of Bath. Their Civic Award highlights the contribution of an organisation or company which has improved Bath or committed to help develop others.

Launched in December 2018, The Hub has already been hailed as a trailblazer for future community buildings. As a Community Benefit Society, The Hub is run in partnership with residents and has been shaped by the community’s original vision of “a warm and beautiful place that the community can feel proud of.”

The Hub’s versatile and ultra-modern facilities are used by independent businesses, charities and health providers to host activities for all ages and interests. There are currently 23 classes every week from musical activities for young children, keep fit for parents and babies to over 50s art classes, gentle exercise for older people and everything in between!

Supporting the community

The small team at The Hub are dedicated to the local community and organise free activities during half-term holidays to support low-income families. As well as free activity days that bring the community together, The Hub also offer regular free taster sessions for residents to try out courses and activities.

The café at The Hub is passionate about providing value for money. It’s also become the main place for families to meet after the school drop-off and pick-up and is used by a variety of local businesses and organisations for work and meetings.

The Hub is also a drop-off and redistribution point for The Hygiene Bank, who collect and redistribute donated toiletries, hygiene, beauty and personal care items. The team are currently working with Bath Food Bank and the Genesis Trust to become a foodbank centre. From the end of January, The Hub will offer a unique Saturday service and will be Bath’s first weekend foodbank centre.

The Hub employs a number of local people, 53 per cent of the team live locally. An apprentice is due to start working in their café which also hosts a local man, with learning difficulties, who volunteers twice a week.

Lizzie Irvine, Hub Centre Manager, said “We’re very pleased that The Hub is up for the Civic Award in the Bath Life awards. The Hub is a true community asset - within a year, we’ve become a beacon for the Mulberry Park, Foxhill and Combe Down communities. It’s really great for our small team to be recognised for their dedication and support to the community.”

The winners of the Bath Life will be announced on 27 February.

What people say about The Hub

Cherie, Foxhill resident and café assistant

Noeline, class leader

Jane, chair of The Hub’s user group

Polly, Bath Dance

Find out more

New show home opens at Mulberry Park

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 10:50:28 Z

Image above: Mulberry Park show home living room

Last month Curo opened the doors to a much-anticipated brand new show home at Mulberry Park, the award-winning residential development in South Bath.

The three-bedroom, semi-detached ‘Portland’ show home is ideal for family life, featuring a contemporary kitchen/dining area with separate living room, WC and utility room to the ground floor, with a master bedroom with en-suite, two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and plenty of storage space occupying the upper floor.

Boasting a modern, stylish, yet homely interior décor, the new show home can give visitors a glimpse into the type of lifestyle that properties at Mulberry Park can offer. One of the rooms, imagined as a child’s bedroom, was furnished in a tropical rainforest theme and features a very special art piece – an orangutan painting by one of the 5-year old pupils at Mulberry Park Educate Together primary school.

Lisa Howells, Curo Sales Director, explains: “Mulberry Park is a strong, growing community, with the new nursery, school and Hub sitting right at its heart and bringing everyone together. We wanted to celebrate this by giving the younger members of the community an opportunity to put their stamp on the new show home.

“Children from the new local school painted their favourite rainforest animal to complement the design of one of the rooms – we chose the orangutan to be displayed in the show home but all of the art pieces are fabulous and can be seen on our website.”

Image above: Curo Sales Director, Lisa Howells (left) and Mulberry Park Educate Together primary school Headteacher, Emma Garnett (right) with the winning artwork

Mulberry Park Educate Together Headteacher, Emma Garnett, says: “It’s fantastic to be part of the thriving community at Mulberry Park and the children love getting involved in these activities. We had fun painting and drawing while learning some interesting facts about the rainforest; thanks to Curo for the wonderful rainforest books gifted to our Bumble Bee class pupils.”

The newly released properties at Mulberry Park are 2, 3 and 4-bedroom homes, with prices starting at £295,000. Mulberry Park properties are also available with Help to Buy, the government’s Equity Loan scheme that lends home buyers up to 20% of the value of a new build home.

Image above: Mulberry Park show home master bedroom

Lisa says: “With such a wide choice of properties now available for reservation, we’re able to help families of any size find their ideal home in this vibrant, new community. Whether you’re on the market for a new home right now or just waiting to be inspired – we invite all home buyers to pop along to our new show home and discover what’s on offer at Mulberry Park.”

To see the new show home at Mulberry Park, visit Curo’s Marketing Suite on Bradford Road (BA2 5BZ). For more information, go to www.curo-sales.co.uk or call 0345 140 5050.

Here are all the drawings and paintings produced by children in Bumble Bee class, aged 5, Mulberry Park Educate Together primary school:

The orangutan (winning artwork)

A tree frog

The tiger

A panther

Gorilla and baby

Parrots

Another panther

The Hub is now open!

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 15:21:21 Z

Our brand new £10m community building in Combe Down opened on Saturday 8 December with a day of free activities that included an all-ages Bath Rugby coaching session.

The Hub is at the heart of the Foxhill, Mulberry Park and Combe Down community and was delivered by us as part of our 700 homes development at Mulberry Park. Our mission is to provide great homes, support communities and improve lives and The Hub is part of our ongoing investment in the local area.

Manager of The Hub, Lizzie Irvine said: “We’re really pleased so many people joined us to celebrate the opening of The Hub. We had more than 875 people through our doors on the day!”

Lizzie added: “The Hub is a new community space where people come together to have fun and try new things – and our open day reflected that. We had lots of activities, from interactive theatre to dance and storytelling. Bath Rugby held an all-ages coaching session and we also showcased some amazing art projects created by Made In Foxhill and local residents.”

BA1 Radio, a local volunteer-led radio station, were at The Hub all day and gave people the opportunity to try their hand at being a radio presenter.

Councillor Paul Myers, Cabinet Member for Economic and Community Regeneration, was given a tour of The Hub and said: “It was fantastic to see so many residents using the building and taking part in all the different activities. The Hub, with its state of the art facilities, is going to be a real asset for the Foxhill, Mulberry Park and Combe Down communities.”

Jane Hill, local resident and chairperson of the Hub user group, said: “It was a wonderful event that brought the community together, everyone had a happy and relaxing time. For many it was their first visit to The Hub and all who took part were so very impressed by the building, its design and the facilities it has to offer.”

The café at The Hub is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 9am until 4pm. In the new year the café will be open every day and from 8am on week days. To find out what’s on at The Hub or to book a room please call 01225 436869.

The countdown to the big launch has begun

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 13:18:01 Z

The countdown to the launch of the new community building at Mulberry Park has begun. The Hub will open its doors to local residents on Saturday 8 December with a ‘Fun Day’ filled with creative activities for kids and adults.

The Hub is a brand new contemporary building for the whole local community to use, providing flexible spaces for activities and events from yoga and fitness classes to children’s stay & play groups, meetings and corporate events as well as a welcoming and family-friendly café on the ground floor.

Over the past few weeks, the new team at The Hub have started work, headed by Centre Manager Lizzie Irvine, with Dominique Bartels as Events Manager, alongside a team of reception and events colleagues.

The Hub is located between the brand new 210-place Educate Together primary school and the 70-place Happy Days nursery at Mulberry Park which both opened in September.

What’s next at The Hub?

A range of events are planned for the opening and in the months to follow. This will include Christmas carols, a series of informative talks and presentations on local interest subjects, art exhibitions and more.

If you’re interested in booking a room to hold an event or meeting, planning an ‘away day’, teaching a class or just curious to pop in and have a look, contact our Events Team at enquiries@mphub.co.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Hub!

It’s a hoot at Mulberry Park this summer

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 09:54:20 Z

This summer, Curo’s delighted to welcome Mulberry Park’s newest resident to the neighbourhood. Mowlberry Beak is coming to roost outside the marketing suite on Bradford Road as part of a city-wide sculpture trail.

Curo is proud to sponsor the Minerva’s Owls of Bath sculpture trail, which takes inspiration from the Roman Goddess Minerva, whose animal symbol was the owl of wisdom. The trail features over 80 individually designed owls displayed across Bath and the surrounding area from June to September 2018.

Mowlberry Beak is painted by local artist and children’s illustrator Beccy Blake. Beccy drew on the local area for her beautiful design which features a mulberry tree packed with details of life in Combe Down, Foxhill and Bath. Local historical figures, Harry Patch and Ralph Allen gaze out from Mowlberry’s eyes, while details from Combe Down’s stone mining past and its links with the military can be found among his feathers.

Beccy Blake said: “I was so excited and felt honoured to be chosen as an owl artist, it’s been great fun both researching all the lovely memories and historical facts from local Combe Down people to pencilling it out and finally painting it. I hope everyone enjoys Mowlberry Beak when on their Owl tour.”

Curo has also donated an owlet to Combe Down Primary school. Patch has been decorated by the school’s pupils in a beautiful patchwork design, inspired by Combe Down’s famous son Harry Patch, the last fighting Tommy. Patch will go on display on The Avenue in Combe Down village.

Curo’s sales manager, Susan Harrison said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this year’s Owls of Bath trail. It’s a fantastic way for people to explore our beautiful city and celebrate local communities like Combe Down. We look forward to welcoming Mowlberry Beak and lots of owl spotters to Mulberry Park during the summer.”

Owl spotters can pick up trail maps from the Bath Visitor Information Centre, Bath Aqua Glass by Bath Abbey and Waterstones in Milsom Street; or they can download the mobile app from the App store or at go.blispa.com/owls.

Curo has its roots planted in the local community, as a housing association and house-builder with 13,000 homes in the West of England. Its award-winning development at Mulberry Park has drawn inspiration from the local area, from the planting of over 6,000 native trees and shrubs to streets named after local residents who served in WWI. For more information about homes at Mulberry Park, call 0345 140 5050 or visit www.curo-sales.co.uk/mulberrypark.

Photo credit: Bath Chronicle and Paul Gillis

Topping out ceremony marks key milestone in development of £10M community hub

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 15:58:38 Z

On Thursday 14 December, Curo marked the latest milestone in the development of a new £10M community hub, primary school and nursery at Mulberry Park, Bath. A topping out ceremony celebrated the completion of the landmark building’s main structure.

Topping out ceremonies date back to pagan times. Traditionally to celebrate the building reaching its highest point, this ceremony is said to bring good luck and prosperity to all those who use the new building. An evergreen tree is hoisted over the building, which is said to ward off evil spirits.

At Mulberry Park, a Christmas tree was raised to the highest point of the building by the Mayor of Bath, Ian Gilchrist. Visitors were then given a guided tour of the new building, using virtual reality headsets to experience the completed rooms as they moved through the building.

The ceremony was attended by local residents and people from local groups and businesses who will use the new building when it opens in 2018.

Victor da Cunha, Chief Executive of Curo said: “It’s great to see the new community hub taking shape at Mulberry Park, underlining Curo’s ongoing investment in the local area. We’re really looking forward to seeing the building buzzing with activity when it opens in 2018.”

The community hub is being built by Rydon for Curo. Paul Barber, Rydon Construction’s South West Regional Director said: “The topping out ceremony is an exciting milestone to celebrate with our partner Curo for the Mulberry Park community hub. Our experienced team look forward to completing this project that will be a focal point – a place for local people to come together and enjoy a range of high quality public services and education facilities.”

Commissioned by Curo and designed by internationally renowned architects BDP, the community hub is ten times larger than that required under planning and will sit at the heart of Mulberry Park fronting onto a new public square, within easy reach for residents of Combe Down and Foxhill.

Named The Hub, it has been designed as a beacon for the local community and will include a café, meeting rooms, multifunctional spaces and an enterprise area with lettable space for a range of businesses. Curo is currently working with local agents, Carter Jonas to recruit partner organisations to run the café and enterprise space.

The celebration was also attended by Council leader, Tim Warren, Combe Down ward councillors, Cherry Beath and Bob Goodman and local residents who have worked with Curo to develop plans for the community hub.

The hub, primary school (run by Educate Together) and 70-place children’s nursery (run by Happy Days) will open at Mulberry Park in September 2018.

Paving the way to honour Combe Down’s fallen

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 14:28:39 Z

On Monday 6th November the first paving stones were unveiled at Mulberry Park, Bath to honour those from Combe Down who served in World War I.

Mulberry Park is Curo’s new development of 700 homes, community facilities and open spaces in southern Bath. Local group Combe Down Heritage Society suggested that the streets within the new development were named after the young men of Combe Down who served in World War I. Each street will be marked with a commemorative paving stone.

The first paving stones to be unveiled honour Henry John ‘Harry’ Patch, William George Chivers and Herbert Charles Windell. Harry Patch, "the Last Fighting Tommy", was the last surviving combat soldier of the First World War from any country. All three men grew up in Combe Down village.

Relatives of William George Chivers attended to see the stone which honours him. Jonathan Cope, who grew up in Combe Down said: “We’re really touched that our relative is being honoured in this way. Our family has a strong connection with Combe Down – my mother even worked on the former MOD Foxhill site. It is really important that future generations remember the sacrifices of those who fought in the world wars.”

Liz Potter, Chair of housing association and house builder Curo, said: “It’s a real privilege to work with the local community to honour these men. As Mulberry Park develops, we will continue to celebrate the history of the local area while looking forward to an exciting future for new and existing residents.”

Curo has worked with Combe Down Heritage Society and stone carving students from Bath College to create the commemorative paving stones that will mark each street. The paving stones were kindly donated by Forest of Dean Stone Firms. Stone carving student Jonny Stoker said: “It’s my way of paying respect to those who fought in the First World War, especially coming up to Armistice Day. I’m looking forward to visiting the site and seeing all the stones laid together in situ. I think that will give me a massive sense of achievement. Volunteering for projects like this gives me the chance to test what I’ve learnt at college.”

A ceremony to unveil the first paving stones was held on Monday 6th November and was attended by representatives of Combe Down Heritage Society, Bath College, the Royal British Legion and B&NES Council.

Photo (L-R): B&NES Council Chair, Cherry Beath, Curo Chair, Liz Potter, Bath College stone-carving student, Mo and Combe Down Heritage Society's Jacqueline Burrows.