This site in the rural village of Ashton was formerly a car parking area with a series of garages, but was being used as a temporary storage facility.  The site has been redeveloped to provide 100% affordable housing, offering two 1-bed apartments, two 2-bed houses and one 3-bed house.  During the design process, there were a number of key planning issues that needed to be considered, including adequate access to the site; the relationship of the proposals to the adjoining properties; the protection  /retention of the landscaping features on site and accordance with the adopted design guidance for new dwellings, including the SPG - ‘Residential Design in the Countryside’.

Pre-application advice was sought from South Northants District Council and a pre-application enquiry was also submitted to English Heritage due to the proximity of the site to a Scheduled Ancient Monument.  The matters raised by English Heritage were considered and an approved archaeological consultant was appointed to undertake the investigation works.  

The scheme has been designed with careful reference and respect for the context, but with a clear acknowledgement of contemporary requirements. Key factors influencing the form and scale of the development have included local housing needs and delivery, the provision of a high proportion of affordable housing (100%) that has tenure blindness; and sustainability in all its forms.

The design has been developed to ensure that it successfully addresses the feedback offered through the pre-application dialogue with the local authority and positively embraces the design expectations of the Council.