A scheme drawn up by LDA Design to reinvigorate the 140-acre Impney Estate in Worcestershire has gone in for planning. The proposals, submitted to Wychavon District Council, incorporate a masterplan for Little Impney, a new village by architects Proctor & Matthews.
Dating back to 1873, Impney Hall is a magnificent Grade II* heritage building originally developed for saltworks magnate, John Corbett. For some time, it has operated as a hotel and conference centre growing to meet these needs through unsympathetic extensions, many of which are now obsolete.
The plans put forward by LDA Design on behalf of the custodians, Impney Ltd, will restore the Hall and its naturalistic parkland setting,
Clare Wilks, a director at LDA Design and project lead for Impney, said: “The remaking of the Estate landscape will create a strong sense of place, that will foster community and inclusion, attract long-term investment and restore heritage.” LDA Design’s scope included an overall Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment.
Under the submitted plans, Impney Hall will continue as a boutique hotel and restaurant, but with many of the more recent add-ons demolished, and the historic external elevations restored.
The large disused 1970s conference and exhibition centre would be replaced by Little Impney, a new mixed-use village of 125 homes and business space, by Proctor & Matthews Architects. Located in what would have historically been the working area of the estate, the village will reflect the historic form of the former 19th-century walled productive garden and include allotments and community orchards. Housing will be stepped along the contours of the hillside to make the most of dramatic views, and at the centre will be a village square.
The overall Estate masterplan aims to improve access and encourage sustainable travel. John Corbett Way, the public right of way across the Estate, will be enhanced and new pedestrian and cycle routes will connect with nearby Droitwich and the rail station. The masterplan also aims to create new opportunities for recreation, enhance biodiversity and improve degraded landscapes with extensive new sustainable drainage basins and swales, complementing the existing river and ponds of the parkland
