New Housing, Herons Lea, Kingswood

Three new detached homes for developer Prism Homes in Kingswood’s Residential Area of Special Character.

The new proposals addressed the concerns raised with the previously approved scheme prepared by another architect by repositioning the houses to improve the privacy of each by increasing the distance between the buildings and by orientating them away from each other. This orientation also allows the plans for each house to be designed to relate to its own unique aspect in terms of daylighting and views.

In addition, the new proposals minimised the excavation required on site and removed the need for the 5m high new retaining wall around the western end of Plot 2 and avoided the damage to the existing trees that would have resulted. The minimising of excavation has the added additional benefit of helping to maximise the retention of the existing mature planting around the perimeter of the site and to ensure that minimum damage is caused to the root systems of the large trees.

The houses are designed as two storey traditional brick houses with steeply pitched tiled roofs containing an attic storey. Reconstituted stone detailing around the windows, plinths and to boundary walls are complemented by diaper pattern brickwork in a dark contrasting brick and decorative detailing to the open eaves. Large timber glazed screens to the rear of the houses supplemented with timber French doors to the principal ground floor rooms and a large central rooflight to the double height Entrance Halls ensure that modern standards for large amounts of daylighting are achieved.

The individual orientation of each of the properties ensures that rear gardens face away from each other to maximise privacy while also limiting the potential overlooking issues apparent in the currently approved scheme. Privacy and a sense of enclosure is further enhanced by the new screen planting proposed along the existing driveway and between the plots.