Children from St Andrew’s Primary School in Newport swapped their classrooms for the construction site at the invitation of local partnership homes developer Lovell.
The Lovell team gave 105 pupils a guided tour of the Loftus Garden Village development, under construction close to the Milner Street school. Pupils enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at the development which is due to be completed in August 2018.
Elizabeth Charles, Assistant Head Teacher at St Andrew’s Primary, said: “We are very grateful to the Lovell team at Loftus Garden Village for facilitating the visit which linked well with the Year 2 topic ‘Cracking Construction’.”
Lovell Community Coordinator Bernadette Vickery added: “Involving and engaging the local community has been central to the Loftus Garden Village project, particularly with the site having played such a significant role in the history of Newport. This is the latest in a number of projects we’ve undertaken with St Andrew’s Primary. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to show the pupils round and talk to them about the new homes, how they are being built and why it’s an important scheme. The visit also allowed us to talk to the children about staying safe near construction activity and underline the message that children and young people should never go unsupervised on to a construction development.”
The 250-home scheme — named best New Development in the latest Welsh Housing Awards — is being delivered by a partnership of Pobl Group, Lovell and Newport City Council.
Neil Taylor, Senior Project Manager for Pobl Group, commented: “St Andrew’s Primary have very much played an important part in our Loftus Garden Village journey so it was fantastic to welcome the pupils back, to see first-hand how the garden village being built on their doorstep has taken shape.
“Opportunities like this inspire the children to think about the significance of housebuilding and how it can positively impact their local community as well as enlightening them as to potential job options for the future and the various skills and training required in the construction industry.”
Loftus Garden Village has transformed a derelict industrial site in the heart of Newport bringing new homes, tree-lined roads, a central pond and village-style green space. The new housing ranges from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom family houses, with homes for open market sale and shared ownership as well as properties for social, market and intermediate rent and a number available on a cooperative basis. The development commemorates Newport’s Ruby Loftus who gained fame in the 1940s when she was painted by war artist Dame Laura Knight carrying out her job at the Royal Ordnance factory which once stood on the housing site. Her story has been celebrated through a series of community projects linked to the housing scheme.
Pictured, from left to right, are: Lovell Site Manager Luke Morgan with pupils Amelia Jenkins, Lana-Rose Heard, Cayden Perrett, Ethan Burgoyne-Hyden, Charlie Stedman, Tiara Powell and Lovell Community Coordinator Bernadette Vickery.
