Longhope, Affordable Housing
- Client
- Aster/Longhope CLT
- Location
- Longhope, Gloucestershire
- Project Leaders
- Richard Fellows
- Size
- Potential for 12 units, including 1 bed flats and 2 & 3 bed houses
Challenge
Longhope is an affordable residential development on land along Church Road. Following an initial exercise in site identification within the village of Longhope in consultation with the Local Planning Authority, Quattro was successful, through a competitive tender process, in winning the appointment by Longhope Community Land Trust and Aster Group to develop the scheme through a Feasibility Study and a Pre-Application Service.
Situated outside of, but bounded by, the settlement boundary and also by Longhope Conservation Area, localised site constraints include steep level changes running from the western boundary towards Church Road and the southeast, prompting careful consideration of the access, road layout and structural retaining elements. Due to the close proximity of adjacent properties, particularly dwellings to the South which are orientated towards the site, measures are required to ensure no overlooking, overbearing or loss of privacy.
The existing hedgerow and trees along Church Road and the northern aspect of the site have been identified as key features to be maintained and enhanced through the proposal to ensure wildlife can continue to flourish within the site.
Furthermore, a Grade II listed dwelling, Dam Barn Cottage, is sited opposite the northeast boundary of the site and considered to be an important feature in the wider site context.
- Services
- Partners
-
Longhope Community Land TrustAster Group
Solution
We are currently in the early stages of developing site layouts informed by analysis and the above constraints. Our current proposal consists of 12 semi-detached and terraced units, arranged in a linear form generally running North to South along and fronting Church Road. The unit terracing is split centrally by the proposed access road, which enters the site from the east, off Church Road, reminiscent of the existing field access. This access will lead through to the parking courts to the rear of the units, as well as allowing the existing field access onto land to the west of the site to be retained.
The housing mix currently proposed consists of four 1 bed 2 Person flats, six 2 bed 4 person houses and two 3 bed 5 person houses all with private amenity to the rear, level access from the rear and parking provision.
In response to the proximity of the existing properties to the South, the proposed units have been located a substantial distance away from the southern boundary in order to provide suitable separation distances. This will create a grassed area with additional low-level planting to serve as a landscape buffer, as well as enhancing the ecological merit of the site. Hipped roof forms have been designed to reduce the vertical mass of the proposed units and further reduce overbearing to the adjacent properties.
The challenges of the extensive slope of the site have been overcome by siting the units back from Church Road and orientating them to face the road. This also addresses the prominence of the Grade II listed Dam Barn Cottage by providing suitable separation and minimising any harm to this recognised Heritage Asset.
This scheme is currently submitted for Pre-Application and we look forward to continuing to work with the client group, Local Authority, and local residents to deliver a scheme that meets local housing need in an appropriate and sensitive manner.
I knew their reputation and skill set from my work with previous employers, to their credit these standards have been maintained. They deliver to program and have the flexibility to respond promptly through out the design and building process.
Housing 21, Birmingham
This development provides 22 much-needed affordable properties on disused Stroud District Council-owned land in our town. We know that Wotton residents are keen that these properties are made available for local families and when we visited residents recently, they told us they were delighted with the standard and the spacious layout.
Liberal Democrat, Wotton Ward
The bundling of a mutual trust and understanding is key to a successful design team relationship. We have enjoyed such a relationship with Quattro Design Architects over the many years we have been working together ...This close collaborative style...provides a building that in most case exceeds expectations.
Speller Metcalfe, Gloucester