In London, a Bugler Developments project in East Finchley with Opendoor Homes has received a Gold Award from Secured by Design (SbD), the national police crime prevention body, for the crime prevention techniques in the development.
The Elmshurst Crescent £2,450,000 development turned a disused garage block into two four bedroom houses, 10 two bedroom flats and a three bedroom flat, for affordable rent. Completed in August 2018, the architectural style and construction complements neighbouring three-storey buildings on the estate and the bungalows to the east.
An SbD trained Designing Out Crime officer, who is employed by the Metropolitan Police, worked with Bugler throughout the construction to assist with security features to reduce the opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour. This work included incorporating crime prevention techniques in the layout and landscaping, such as to increase natural surveillance, create defensible space and ensure the areas outside the houses had appropriate lighting.
SbD techniques also included physical security of buildings. External doors and accessible windows meet SBD’s standards for being robust to resist attack from opportunist burglars.
There are three levels of SBD award: Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Gold Award is the highest level and it is awarded where the physical security specification of the home is enhanced by the security provided in the external environment.
Andy Bugler, Chief Exec, said: “Bugler Developments are delighted that our Elmshurst Crescent project with Opendoor Homes has been awarded a Gold Award from Secured by Design. We strive to achieve a high level of security in all of our projects. Investing in security design and implementation will increase the longevity of the building and improves the safety and the well-being of the residents, providing a home that is not disrupted by crime and disorder.“
Met Police Designing Out Crime Officer, Rob Palin, said: “I am pleased to give this development a Gold Award. The developer clearly took security and crime prevention seriously in their approach, they contacted the Designing Out Crime Office for early consultation and incorporated the requirements of Secured by Design at that point. This resulted in a seamless application process and a development that is a vast improvement over the garages which it replaced.
“The site was previously a block of garages. Blocks of garages such as this are common throughout London, however due to the fact that they are separate from the dwellings and experience limited natural surveillance and legitimate activity, they are frequently areas that suffer from crime and anti-social behaviour. This development has removed a potential crime generator and replaced it with 13 dwellings that have a high resilience to crime.”
About Secured by Design
Secured by Design is part of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), a police owned not-for-profit body that works on behalf of Police and Crime Commissioners and chief constables to deliver a range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives. SBD has more than 700 member companies with thousands of products in more than 30 crime categories that have achieved Police Preferred Specification.
Among the most iconic buildings with SbD awards are the 2012 London Olympics site, the 2014 Commonwealth Games Village, Wembley Stadium, the National Stadium of Wales, and the Scottish and Welsh Assembly Buildings. Visit www.securedbydesign.com.
