Homes England development in Plymouth also targets community hub for former clay-drying works
LDA Design proposals for up to 550 homes on a brownfield site in Plymouth have finally been given outline planning consent.
The practice’s masterplan for Coypool Park was drawn up in conjunction with CampbellReith and The Environment Partnership for Homes England. The plans were granted conditional approval by Plymouth City Council in 2021 however the decision was only finalised last week.
LDA said the scheme would transform the steep, derelict site – which used to house a china clay drying works – into a “welcoming, imaginative, and attractive landscape-led community” that is properly integrated into the wider neighbourhood.
The site overlooks the Plym Valley and is set in woodland that was originally planted to screen industrial activity.
LDA said the new neighbourhood would benefit from 16ha of high-quality accessible woodland through a design code outlining how the woodland character would be “drawn into the residential streets and play areas”.
The planning consent includes the delivery of a community hub of up to 700sq m and 400sq m of retail space. Sixty of the new homes are designated as “older persons living units”.
LDA Design director Paul Connelly, who is the practice’s project lead for Coypool Park, said the project was expected to become a blueprint for the transformation of other former industrial sites.
“We don’t want Coypool to be one of a kind – we want it to establish a benchmark for new landscape-led brownfield communities,” he said.
“The masterplan will create a sociable place to live, for all ages, but one that is also well connected to the wider landscape and the city beyond.
“It combines creative urban design with innovative engineering to turn environmental challenges into great placemaking opportunities, in particular in the imaginative use of woodland.”
LDA said the new neighbourhood, which is around three miles from Plymouth city centre would be well-served by sustainable transport. The area already has a park-and-ride service with frequent buses into the city centre and the adjacent Drake’s Cycle Trail connects with the city centre.
Homes England has appointed Barratt David Wilson Homes as its delivery partner for the development.
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