The Abbey Estate is a suburban residential estate adjacent to Thetford Forest and the Little Ouse River, as well as in walking distance of Thetford Town Centre. We have carried out extensive engagement with residents to understand their concerns and aspirations for the estate in order to help develop a preferred masterplan option. This community-led approach will help tackle the issues identified throughout the process and improve both the character and function of the neighbourhood.
The masterplan for the Abbey Estate is landscape-led with sustainability at its core. Along with delivering a variety of new homes, green spaces and improvements to the existing public realm have been proposed. The masterplan presents the opportunity for a new neighbourhood park at the heart of the estate that reimagines the peexisting green space. New buildings adjacent to the park will support existing and new shops and businesses and house a new community centre. A network of smaller, private courtyards and pocket parks will offer a choice of amenity spaces on the doorstep of homes. A series of new and improved streets promote walking and cycling, and will help to stitch the Abbey into its surroundings and improve connectivity to and within the estate.
Improvements to the Riverside to the south of the estate will unlock the potential of significant but currently underutilised green space, reinstating this as a recreational asset and bringing substantial ecological benefits, not to mention promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. This initiative will also support the vision of wider Thetford, weaving together west Thetford with the town centre as well as improving connections from the forest to town along the network of river footpaths.
Working with residents to develop masterplan options for an existing estate.