Loughton, Essex
Residential
Loughton lies on the edge of Epping Forest. When Queen Victoria visited Epping Forest on 6 May 1882 she declared "It gives me the greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time" and it thus became "The People's Forest".
The right to collect wood still exists and is limited to "one faggot of dead or driftwood" per day per adult resident.
The site lies opposite the historic Epping Forest, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The proposed development needed to be sympathetic to its location which is predominantly low density, large, high value properties. The site is heavily constrained by underground utilities. There are several beautiful, large, mature trees on the site all of which needed to be retained. These constraints meant that a low density, arcadian layout was appropriate for both the site itself and its location.
The development also benefits from an area of steeply sloping open space that is with the designated green belt.
This development is a good example of how the site constraints and location heavily influenced the design of the layout.
Bluepencil and CDS Planning collaborated on this project with input from PJA on transport and highways.
Client
Haynes New Homes
Task
Preparation of an Outline Planning Application for 20 homes, a doctors surgery, parish council meeting rooms and associated infrastructure.
Role
Architect
Concept Model
Elevation looking east from the internal road
Elevation looking north across the open space
Assess the Design Quality of a Housing Layout. Review the five key characteristics to look for in a Housing Layout.
“I have worked with Bluepencil for many years on a number of projects. They are a joy to work with and have incredible design skills that bring vision and deliverability into fruition. I look forward to working with Bluepencil on many projects in the future and to support our client base with their plans”
Matt Corcoran
CDS Planning and Development