Homes England has submitted a planning application for 550 new homes, a community hub and 16 hectares of public open space and woodland at Coypool Park in Plymouth.
This flagship development is on the site of a former china clay drying complex. The brownfield site has an industrial legacy stretching back 100 years. Consent to demolish the majority of the derelict industrial buildings was granted in March 2019.
LDA Design and CampbellReith are supporting Homes England through the planning process for the proposed residential scheme.
LDA Design has developed a landscape-led masterplan for this new distinct neighbourhood, which will provide high-quality homes with a mix to suit everyone in a place where people can live, relax and enjoy nature in a woodland setting. CampbellReith’s engineering expertise will ensure access, drainage and utilities infrastructure serve the new community.
Coypool Park’s distinctive identity will be driven by its natural setting, which will work with the valley topography and surrounding woodland. The woodland itself will be retained and enhanced for net biodiversity gain and to provide public open for all. Access to the woodland and its connections to the National Cycle Routes will be opened up to existing residents in the surrounding neighbourhoods. A new community hub is set to be located in the centre of the development providing a café, nursery, small shop and flexible multi-use space for local clubs, health clinics and community use.
LDA Design Director and project lead, Paul Connelly, explains why this application is significant. He said: “The planning of Coypool Park is a great demonstration of how the landscape can be used to define the character of a new development, generating value, creating a distinctive offer in the market and providing for the needs of existing and new communities in an imaginative way.”
The application follows extensive consultation with the local community, Plymouth City and key stakeholders and two public exhibition events in late 2018 and mid-2019. Importantly, feedback received through public consultation has directly influenced the emerging proposals. Once consented, it is intended to divide the development into parcels, which would be developed out by a number of different housing developers, including small and medium sized house builders in accordance with the Parameter Plans and Design Code to ensure that the entire site comes forward as a cohesive place.
