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FOURFIELDS
fourfields, Broxbourne
The new proposals form a Reserved Matters Application for 15
new homes and associated landscape on a 0.49ha site, recently submitted for
Planning in April 2022. These Reserved Matters address an earlier Outline
Planning consent from 2015.
Formally the site of Fourfields
care home, in Cheshunt. The site has gentle falls from the western
boundary to the southeast, although the existing buildings do cut into
the landscape creating steep banks to the northern boundary and a
flatter central area.
The underlying soil structure has a low rate of permeability and
currently there are no SuDS
features. Stormwater run-off discharges into Rags Brook, which is
located about 15m to the south, flowing in a west-east direction.
The
new proposal is a reconfiguration of the Outline Masterplan with the
SuDS strategy now becoming the starting point as
well as the fulcrum of the new landscape-led Masterplan. With
naturalistic SuDS features
considered at the commencement of the design process, which started with
an
extensive assessment of the relationship of the site with its
surrounding environment and urban context. The outcome was the immediate
production of a very early
sketch design revolving around a strong nature-based SuDS strategy. The
design development was achieved through
a coordination of multidisciplinary teams, with early involvement of
each
discipline focusing towards achieving the same cohesive goal.
DETAILS
Client: Herts Living Ltd
Design Team:
Mace Group (Living Solutions) - Project Lead and Architecture
Refolo Landscape Architects - Landscape-led Masterplan
Price & Myers - Drainage Engineers
Turley - Planning Consultants
Treework Environmental Practice - Arboricultralist
ELMAW Consulting - Ecologist
TTP Consulting - Transport Engineer
Status: Planning April 2022
Awards:
Winner Ciria susdrain 2022 SuDS Award
Category: Early Housing Schemes not yet Completed but with a Firm Commitment to Deliver and Maintain High-Quality SuDS
Aerial view of existing site
The site is predominantly hard paved
areas of footpaths and a carpark to the main entrance, with margins of mown
grass, evergreen shrubs, and some mature trees. There is little in the way of
ecology or biodiversity, and no SuDS strategy.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DRAINAGE
In collaboration with Price & Myers the following SuDS Components were developed for the scheme:
Communal Areas
• No.5 Communal Rain Gardens
• SuDSTree Pit within Hard Landscape.
• Exceedance and Flow Paths to Soft Landscape
• Permeable Paving (vehicular and pedestrian)
Private Arena
• No.15 Roof RWP Bioretention Planters
• No.15 Roof RWP Water Butts (300L units)
• No.15 Green Roofs on Refuse Stores
• No.15 Green Roofs on Cycle Stores.
CARBON IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
The tables shown below were produced
using the Pathfinder calculator by Climate Positive Design.
The study shows
that, with a considered approach, the proposed development can achieve
climate-positive
status within 35 years.