We are thrilled that the hybrid planning application for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, including our designs for Gateway Place, have been submitted for planning approval. We are particularly excited that Gateway Place – a group of community and workspace buildings around a new public square – will be the first phase to be constructed, a real signal of the intent to create a thriving and vibrant community that goes far beyond just the provision of new homes. Designed in regenerative and low-carbon materials, including hempcrete and stone, Gateway Place will serve both existing residents around the site – providing early years nursery, park-and-ride facilities, café and business units - and provide for the daily needs of the first new residents.

The Garden Community masterplan is genuinely groundbreaking in how it creates long-term public benefit, infrastructure provision and place stewardship, demonstrating how a housing association can create a purpose-led community - marrying design ambition and viability, while aligning with the principles of the New Towns Taskforce. As part of this, we also developed the Cultural Strategy that has fed into the non-residential brief. Designed to protect and restore natural habitats, the landscape-led masterplan is designed with over 50% open space and retains 30km of mature hedgerows as core infrastructure. It also features restored woodland networks and a 60ha country park.

The project is developed by Latimer, the development arm of Clarion Housing Group as master developer. Russ Edwards, TCBGC Project Director, said: “The Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community masterplan reflects years of dedicated, collaborative working with councils, communities, and a dynamic, multidisciplinary design team, and collectively, we are very excited for the next steps in taking the proposal forward. The scheme demonstrates a shared passion to create an ambitious, inclusive, and regenerative new community – one which the whole of North Essex can be proud of.”

You can read more on our project page.