Friary Park is presented as a regeneration-led residential scheme with social value placed at its core. The submission describes a strong commitment from the developer and housing partner to improve everyday life for residents and the surrounding area, using community investment, local engagement and practical support as part of the development model.
The nomination highlights a range of initiatives intended to build connection and opportunity, including a community hub, support for existing neighbourhood networks and amenities designed to soften the scale of a large housing project. It also emphasises a bottom-up approach, with residents involved in shaping priorities and helping to direct the scheme's social aims.
The project is framed as one that seeks to deliver wider public benefit through inclusive place-making, with particular attention to social inclusion, community capability and longer-term cultural and economic renewal. It is positioned as a model for how residential development can support both new homes and enduring local value.
Judges praised the project as transformational, commending the evident commitment to genuine social value, resident-centred thinking and the creation of meaningful community assets. They responded positively to the ambition, warmth and credibility of the approach, and viewed it as a strong example of housing used as a platform for social renewal.
