Kentwood Farm, Wokingham

CLIENT: Crest Nicholson

Allen Pyke were commissioned to discharge the planning conditions and develop the detailed landscape design for this 274 unit residential development on the fringe of Wokingham, Berkshire. The landscape design delivers a series of spaces for public use, including allotments, informal play areas, and open space.

The scheme involved the planning and delivery of a Suitable Accessible Natural Green Space (SANGs), now known as Kentwood Meadows. Working closely with the ecologist and engineer, we took initial outline proposals through to clear reserved matters and planning conditions. The SANGs was designed to serve as an amenity landscape for local people connecting existing residential areas to the south through the new development, along a minor water course that has been re-profiled to improve access and its amenity value. The SANGs also provides a habitat for the relocation of Great Crested Newts from the development area. The proposals included large areas of wet and dry grassland with several ponds, woodland belts and scrub planting accessed via a circular route.

We continually liaised with the Local Authority, ecologist and site team to ensure that the Natural England requirements were met, whilst responding to the client’s sales and public realm objectives.

New planting continues to establish on site in accordance with the varying weather and ground water conditions since 2013. The site was opened to the public in late 2014 and is being actively used by new residents as an alternative dog walking location, in line with the SANGs objectives.

The scheme also includes a noise bund which buffers the site from the adjacent A329 and has been designed to blend with the landscape.

Visit Kentwood Meadows