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Gillie's Meadow
Basingstoke
Gillie's Meadow is located within the beautiful grounds of the former Park Prewett Psychiatric Hospital and Farm, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, to the North of existing contemporary development. The area is well connected, with excellent rail links to London Waterloo and Paddington in under an hour. The site is surrounded by a thick spinney, which has been retained as a luscious natural buffer at the edge, providing a tranquil setting. Pedestrian and vehicular access has been well integrated with the existing development, to maintain easy access to the site, and to other nearby amenities such as the local church, community centre, shops and Basingstoke Hospital.
The development consists of 300 high quality homes, with a mix of 2-5 bed houses 1-2 bed apartments, to reflect the demand from local residents. The design has been categorised into 4 typologies that work with the and contours of the site, progressing from urban to rural designs, layouts and public space toward the north of the site. 40% of homes are affordable, with 40% of that as shared ownership and 60% as rented.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
1. Connections
Creating a Place
5. Character
6. Working with the site and context
Street & Home
10. Car parking
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
Key opportunities: fantastic greenfield site allows for wildlife, green avenues and feature areas, and natural attenuation wall along A340. Key Constraints: great variation in spot levels across the site, with many existing trees to be maintained.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
Aerial view from North East of the site
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
1. Connections
The design of the site layout utilises existing primary road linkages, and extends these across the site for a network of primary, secondary and tertiary roads. Pedestrians and cyclists can access the site via the existing open space to the south west of the site, connecting to the existing development to the west, and also via public footpaths either side of the existing Homefield House Nursing Home site.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
1. Connections
Neighbouring Uses Plan - Residential, Commercial and Community Building
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
2. Facilities and services
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
2. Facilities and services
Bus 4 route
The site is services by two bus routes: between Basingstoke Town Centre and Chineham Centre (Bus 4), and between Basingstoke Town Centre and Kingsclere (Bus Link). Bus 4 is closest to the development, and travel time to the town centre and train station is approximately 35 minutes. Bus Link is on the far south of Park Prewett Road (see 3.2 diagram), about 5-10 minutes walk from the development, where it takes 11 minutes to travel to the town centre and train station.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
2. Facilities and services
Bus Link route
The site is services by two bus routes: between Basingstoke Town Centre and Chineham Centre (Bus 4), and between Basingstoke Town Centre and Kingsclere (Bus Link). Bus 4 is closest to the development, and travel time to the town centre and train station is approximately 35 minutes. Bus Link is on the far south of Park Prewett Road (see 3.2 diagram), about 5-10 minutes walk from the development, where it takes 11 minutes to travel to the town centre and train station.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
3. Public transport
Although a bus route does not run through the development, major routes pass through Park Prewett Road, with access to the town centre, Chineham Centre, and Kingsclere. The new spine road is wide enough to ensure a bus service through the heart of the proposed development could become viable in the future. Two roads and three footpaths link the site to the existing development at Park Prewett Road, allowing for easy and convenient access to these bus stops. The north of the site is popular with walkers and dog walkers, so six links through the retained spinney have been included to provide many options for existing and new local residents to cut the whole way through the site, and are designed to align with links to the south of the site for improved permeability. All pedestrian routes are enriched by planting and existing trees, with character areas and open spaces to easily navigate through the site.
Integrating
into the neighbourhood
4. Meeting local housing requirements
Creating a Place
5. Character
There are 4 character areas that form the 300 unit scheme. Rooksgate forms the entrance to the site and draws it character from the massing of the neighboring development to the south of PARK Prewett Road. Two large apartment blocks (A &B) form the gateway to the development with massing framing the entrance road with 3/4storey development. The gateway arrangement area fits into the urban character of this part of the site aiding the sense of a whole development rather than 2 half’s.
As you pass through the Rooksgate character area and travel down the spine road the urban feel continues all be it on a more residential scale of town houses 2 story terraces. Soft Landscaping is used to provide a green avenue feel to the Spine Road and inform its character as semi urban and formal. This route crosses the entire site and allows access to the 2 other character areas.
The first of the two sub characters is informed by the retained Limes Tree belt to the South of the Spine Road, whilst the density is reduced form the rigid mainly terraced borers of dwellings to the spine; the rigidity of block formation is reduced with dwellings framing a central green space for the retention trees.
The remaining character area borders the site significant character feature, the spinney an existing mature tree belt which frames the sites Northern and Eastern boundaries with Open Country side. This area takes down the Spine roads urban feel to a semi-rural character through the increased set back from the highway and predominant use of detached dwellings with separation between build lines.
Creating a Place
5. Character
The design ethos for the appearance of dwellings on site is struck between the contemporary design of the Southern Park Prewett scheme and the local vernacular style of the wider countryside which borders the Spinney boundary to the North of the site.
Creating a Place
5. Character
Materials plan
Creating a Place
6. Working with the site and context
The site is subject to a great level difference with a 25m level difference from the site entrance to balancing ponds. Given the dramatic level difference plots 272-278 are built into the embankment and are dual aspect to address the street. Spinney area
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Outline proposal image - Entrance at Park Prewett Road (West)
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Outline proposal image - Bungalows
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Outline proposal image - Public Open Space
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Outline proposal image - Spinney Lane
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Spine Road elevation (South)
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Spine Road elevation (North)
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
Park Prewett Road elevation, and bungalows
Creating a Place
7. Creating well defined streets and spaces
North to South elevation
Creating a Place
8. Easy to find your way around
The formality of the Spine Road area aids elegit ability and follows the site along the East – West axis but broken with areas of open space and mature trees act as landmarks.
Cross site permeability is enforced with 5 links off site to the North and 4 links to the south all with long sight lines. Build structure clearly defines perimeter blocks denoting routes across the site.
Creating a Place
8. Easy to find your way around
Street & Home
9. Streets for all
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9. Streets for all
Traffic calming plan
Street & Home
9. Streets for all
The majority of the site has active building frontages with common rooms at the front of buildings, promoting regular passive surveillance and eyes on the street, making for a safe community. In few occasions where this is not the case, this is compensate
Street & Home
10. Car parking
A variety of parking treatments have been incorporated across the development, and integrated amongst the hard and soft landscaping to aid a positive visual impact. Planting between bays, and at curtilage of homes allows for parking areas to integrate wit
Street & Home
11. Public and private spaces
All areas are well overlooked by local residents, and have been located amongst existing, proposed and future development. Public space areas have been located primarily along the spine road, setback from the street, allowing for natural surveillance by users of the street, which compensates for some separation from houses and allows for some residential privacy. This inspires defensible space, and feelings of neighbourhood safety. LEAPs are intended for younger children from toddlers to primary school age, and kickabouts are intended for 11+ and younger teenagers. The integration of planting and boundary treatments are well used for a clear demarcation of ownership, emphasised by a perimeter block structure with street planting. Future management of shared open spaces and planting is to be adopted under a commuted sum, to ensure a visual aesthetic and public use is maintained for many years to come.
Street & Home
11. Public and private spaces
All areas are well overlooked by local residents, and have been located amongst existing, proposed and future development. Public space areas have been located primarily along the spine road, setback from the street, allowing for natural surveillance by users of the street, which compensates for some separation from houses and allows for some residential privacy. This inspires defensible space, and feelings of neighbourhood safety. LEAPs are intended for younger children from toddlers to primary school age, and kickabouts are intended for 11+ and younger teenagers. The integration of planting and boundary treatments are well used for a clear demarcation of ownership, emphasised by a perimeter block structure with street planting. Future management of shared open spaces and planting is to be adopted under a commuted sum, to ensure a visual aesthetic and public use is maintained for many years to come.
Street & Home
11. Public and private spaces
All areas are well overlooked by local residents, and have been located amongst existing, proposed and future development. Public space areas have been located primarily along the spine road, setback from the street, allowing for natural surveillance by users of the street, which compensates for some separation from houses and allows for some residential privacy. This inspires defensible space, and feelings of neighbourhood safety. LEAPs are intended for younger children from toddlers to primary school age, and kickabouts are intended for 11+ and younger teenagers. The integration of planting and boundary treatments are well used for a clear demarcation of ownership, emphasised by a perimeter block structure with street planting. Future management of shared open spaces and planting is to be adopted under a commuted sum, to ensure a visual aesthetic and public use is maintained for many years to come.
Street & Home
11. Public and private spaces
Boundary Plan
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11. Public and private spaces
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12. External storage and amenity space
Bin Collection Plan
Bin storage is predominantly within rear gardens, all with level access to the curtilage of the dwelling. Apartments have dedicated communal bin storage either internally on the ground floor or in enclosed bin storage areas closely associated to the block.
Full provision of bins is in accordance with the LPA advice on bin requirements. With a typical provision of 2 no. wheeled bins and a food waste caddy for houses and pro-rata allocation share of 1100ltr euro bins for general and recycled waste to apartments.
Street & Home
12. External storage and amenity space
Garage floor plan
All garages allow for space allocated to car and bicycle parking, which could also be used to store larger items. The majority of dwellings with garages also benefit from 2 additional allocated spaces allowing for potential for garages to be used for storage on some occasions.
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