Tutti Frutti street lines up

Award winning property developer Urban Splash has today revealed the 20 winners of Tutti Frutti, its competition to win the right to buy a plot of land to build their own home sweet home at New Islington, Manchester's Millennium Community one of the most ambitious and exciting major regeneration projects in Europe.

Launched in June 2007, the competition invited self-builders, architects and budding property developers to compete for the right to buy one of 26 canal-side plots to build their dream home on. When all the houses are complete the one deemed as the best designed will win the price of the plot of land back.

To enter competitors had to first demonstrate their financial ability to fund the cost of the land and the build. Then entrants produced 1:50 scale models of their house so that the judges could decide if the design was good enough to be a part of Tutti Frutti and New Islington.

There were 20 entries received each one very different from the other with a whole diversity of designs. Heights ranged from two to six storeys, some shapes ranged from quite regular to the irregular, some designs were bold and extravagant, others simple and understated.

There was a rich variety of materials and colours with inspirational ideas for bringing light into the houses with roof terraces, allotment gardens, kitchen gardens and pleasingly some very clever and robust ideas to make the houses sustainable and environmentally friendly.

"The competition gave people the chance to show what kinds of houses they want to live in," said Nick Johnson, deputy chief executive, Urban Splash and competition judge. "We were all very much relieved not to see any neo-Georgian/mock Tudor pastiches. Equally we were very impressed by the individual conscious efforts competitors made to make their houses better to the environment."

The judges were so impressed by all twenty of the model entries that they decided that all of them would be winners. The street can be viewed at www.newislington.co.uk/tuttifrutti |The next challenge for the judges was to assemble the houses into a coherent street.

"Selecting the street was a bit like choosing a seating plan at a dinner," said judge Peter Saville, "You need to make sure they complement one another but also be exciting together, I think we've done a really good job, all the designs are very original and will make Tutti Frutti an incredible place."

The twenty winners are attending a series of workshops run by Urban Splash to help them work up their designs for submission for planning permission. Local planning authority Manchester City Council will work with Urban Splash to help the winners with the process.

Another excellent development for Tutti Frutti is that BBC 2 has commissioned Leeds based yap films to make a major series on the project. Yap will follow the project winners as they turn their plans into reality.

"We're delighted that BBC2 has commissioned the series and we're really looking forward to working with yap films over the coming years, I am sure it will make for an exciting, informative and hopefully entertaining TV," said Nick Johnson.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) competitions office helped with the management of the competition and during the process acted as the point of contact for the entrants.

"Working with Urban Splash is always an enjoyable and rewarding experience," said Linda Roberts, RIBA competitions office. "They always achieve their goal of finding new and exciting design talent, usually through anonymous selection, and that's what competitions are all about. With Tutti Frutti not knowing whose design it was meant the judges were able to focus entirely on the designs in question. Those competing have shown a huge amount of enthusiasm and passion through the competition and this is evident in the quality of material submitted."

It is hoped that plans for the twenty houses will be submitted for planning by early next year with work starting on site by summer 2008.

There's six plots available at Tutti Frutti to buy with prices starting from £160,000 visit www.newislington.co.uk/tuttifrutti |or e-mail tuttifrutti@urbansplash.co.uk if you're interested.

Tutti Frutti is part of New Islington, Manchester's Millennium Community, which in turn is one of English Partnerships' seven Millennium Communities - New Islington is a partnership between English Partnerships, Urban Splash and New East Manchester Ltd together with appointed social landlord, Manchester Methodist Housing Association.  The 30 acre site, just east of Manchester city centre is being radically transformed to a strategic and ambitious vision created by Will Alsop.  A new canal and water park, 1700 new homes, office space, a school, a health clinic, shops, bars and restaurants are planned to be created, using the world's bets architecture.