Landscape Design

The landscape setting to the new homes creates a sustainable community that is close to nature. Residents are encouraged to use alternative transport to cars. Allotments are provided to grow food and an orchard provides fruit and shade. Biodiversity and wildlife has been promoted by a green spine linking species-rich wildflower meadows to the edge of the site, so that the countryside is drawn into the heart of the development. A series of smaller scale courtyard spaces is created as the focus of the development. Their treatment varies from soft informal greens to more formal and hard mews. The resultant development is contextual in character and appearance, respecting the site’s cultural heritage. It creates a robust and long lasting place that is biodiverse, inspiring and animated and designed to encourage social interaction.

HTA have worked closely with the ecologists at Arup to create a landscape that is an exemplar of biodiversity specific to South Gloucestershire. It contains a wide range of habitats ranging from large meadows, hedgerows to wetlands and ponds to encourage a wide variety of species to the site. These elements draw wildlife into the centre of the development. Residents can pick local varieties of apples, pears and plums from the communal orchard.

Allotments, contained by a hedge made of fruiting edible plants, an orchard and an apiary, allow residents to grow their food and work collectively. At the centre of the site, a series of greenhouses fronted by kitchen gardens are available for the residents to rent. Functional elements such as the SUDs system are incorporated into the neighbourhood spaces and the central amenity space, where it is a prominent landscape feature, a swale defined by a sculptural dry stone wall. The walling material is reclaimed from the site and compliments the historic listed boundary walls that enclosed the former estate. It will also function as a play element, visual attraction and functional part of the SUDs system. A play trail will run through the meadows so landscape, art and play combine as one element.