Our proposals for Tabley Lane, a distinctive new neighbourhood of 233 homes on the outskirts of Preston, have gained planning approval. A strong landscape strategy underpins the layout, with dwellings comprising houses, custom build plots and two apartment buildings, one of which will accommodate later living. We have undertaken urban design, landscape architecture and architecture on this scheme, enabling an integrated approach to proposals across the site.
A green heart, parkland buffer and green boulevard provide varied landscaped spaces for recreation and biodiversity. Existing natural features informed the layout of these areas, with generous mature trees and a stream demarcating the green heart, and a line of trees that marked a boundary between land ownership retained to form a tree-lined ‘avenue’. A hard-landscaped shared surface junction at the key node outside the larger, older living apartment building provides a further focal point for the neighbourhood. This will be used for community events as well as daily use, with planting pockets and seating spaces providing space to walk and pause.
The proposals include standardised house type layouts (some of which we previously developed for the client), with bespoke elevational treatments designed to suit the local vernacular and inspired by the agricultural setting, with materials chosen to reflect the rural/suburban context. Houses are arranged in character areas with variation in materials and detailing creating interest across the site. Individual ‘marker’ houses articulate the central spine road, which also benefits from a planted ribbon running along its full length, breaking up the hard surfaces and expanding into larger landscaped areas that integrate informal “play along the way”.
The client, Community Gateway Association, who we have worked with on a number of previous projects, including the recently completed older person's housing development at The Courtyards, was keen to develop a neighbourhood with distinctive character and high quality public green space. We have worked closely with the local authority to deliver strong placemaking principles while adhering to challenging requirements for highways, parking and refuse – all of which are vital to the delivery of a successful new neighbourhood. Work on site is due to start in 2022.
