Project Crocus

In 2015 the Trustees started to explore options for the replacement and redevelopment of seven of the bungalows in Primes Close, on the Abbey Lane site. The bungalows are beset with long-standing problems and reaching the end of their useful life. They were built in 1950, just after the war, replacing two-storey dwellings built in 1782 which, in turn, had replaced earlier tenements built in 1400.

Working with BB+C, Cambridge architects with significant experience in new builds alongside historically-sensitive and listed buildings, the Trustees have developed a proposal to replace the existing seven dwellings with a two-storey building with sixteen flats, accessible for a variety of needs. The new building will be designed for 21st-century living, incorporating high levels of insulation resulting in low energy usage and low cost for the residents.

Saffron Walden Almshouses project crocus primes close

Our planning application was approved on 16th October 2024. The approved details can be found on the council’s planning applications web page by searching for the application reference UTT/24/1383/FUL.

The development has a number of public benefits, including improving and increasing the number of affordable homes in Saffron Walden and reducing the flood risk to the town from the replacement of a section of the River Slade culvert within the proposed development.

If you would like to be kept updated about progress on the redevelopment of Primes Close or if you have any questions, please email crocus@swalmshouses.org

To learn about the Crocus Campaign or to make a gift to the project, please click here.

The Trustees and Beneficiaries welcome all donations, whether one-off, regular or by bequest, for the maintenance and improvement of the dwellings and the grounds.

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Incorporated Charitable Limited Company

KEVI CORPORATE TRUSTEE LIMITED, a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (company number: 10178525), whose registered office is at Almshouse Office, King Edward VI Almshouses, Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden CB10 1DE, in its capacity as the sole corporate trustee of King Edward VI and the Reverend Joseph Prime Almshouse Charity (registered charity number: 210590)