Our recently completed older persons scheme ‘Swallowtail Place’ has received the top Secured by Design (SBD) accreditation demonstrating its commitment to improving the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings.
The SBD Gold certificate was officially presented to us and R G Carter by Norfolk Constabulary’s Deputy Chief Constable Simon Megicks on Friday (14th April).
The Gold award was issued by Norfolk Constabulary in recognition of the achievement to design out crime within the Swallowtail Place development. It is the first SBD Gold award in Norfolk to be issued in the last 5 years by the Constabulary’s current Designing Out Crime Unit.
It acknowledges the measures taken to reduce the opportunity for crime and Anti-Social Behaviour by improved layout, environmental design and the use of Police Preferred Specification products.
Swallowtail Place in Acle provides 58 affordable apartments for people over 55. The project formally achieved the SBD Silver Award in November last year, however, through collaboration between us, Norfolk Constabulary and R G Carter, the development was able to deliver the enhanced Gold certification.
To achieve the improved Gold award required the security of the external environment together with the physical security of the building to achieve compliance with all of the features required of SBD. Some of the well-designed attributes include:
- Secure development boundary which balanced fencing, gates and planting.
- Natural surveillance from inside the building.
- Positive security measures including thicker apartment doors with enhanced door furniture.
- Elimination of vulnerable spaces through lighting and CCTV.
- Enhanced security performance of patio doors and windows.
- A live visitor video door entry system and proximity access control.
Our Independent Community Living Plus Liaison Officer, Tracey Harris, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved Gold. We set out to achieve a Silver standard, but when we were told we were so close to getting Gold, we didn’t think twice about making the required changes. It’s a fantastic achievement and one we hope will give the residents, prospective residents and their families peace of mind.”
Stuart Thompson at R G Carter said: “We were delighted to collaborate with Saffron Housing and Norfolk Constabulary to achieve this prestigious Gold award for the Swallowtail Place Independent Living Scheme. The focus on creating as safe an environment as possible through effective design and construction has provided the very best level of security possible, and reassurance to its residents and staff.”
Deputy Chief Constable Simon Megicks from Norfolk Constabulary said: “The Secured by Design awards provide us with an opportunity to highlight the work of those who have excelled in improving the safety of their local communities.
“The Gold award, in particular, takes physical security of a building further by incorporating the wider immediate area and ensuring crime prevention through environmental design.
“This is the first Gold award to have been awarded in the past five years and is a brilliant achievement for Saffron Housing and R G Carter.”