Midwinters was an unusual development proposition on the northern fringe of Cheltenham. It involved land owned by Cheltenham Borough Council, bordering an extensive area of allotments and a linear park. The land also bordered a disused railway line, offering a convenient route to the centre of the town, and the proposals for the site would create 165 new dwellings.
Midwinters presented the council with an opportunity to promote new housing which was exemplary in its sustainability achievements. We demonstrated how the allotments could be used as a community focus to relate the new residents to those of existing dwellings, through a series of linked public spaces and routes.
Several new housing groups were proposed, each of which would have a distinctive identity and excellent amenities. The strong urban design principles that have made Cheltenham such an impressive urban experience were used to inform new streetscapes, equally alive to contemporary sensibilities and as the council wished, visibly given their use of sustainable technologies.
