New Communities

Grove Gardens

Project Details

Client
Trinity College Cambridge
Location
Fakenham, Norfolk
Year
2013 – present
Services
Masterplanning, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design

Overview

As North Norfolk’s appeal as a holiday destination continues to rise, so too does the pressure to provide enough homes for local people. Grove Gardens stems from an aspiration to support the sustainable growth of Fakenham, a provincial town an hour south of the Norfolk Coast AONB.

Define were appointed to create a vision for a new neighbourhood and to promote its delivery through the Local Plan. Our comprehensive masterplan and Development Brief demonstrated how the site could provide mixed use expansion at the northern edge of the town, to support its successful promotion and allocation in the Local Plan.

Masterplan led planning

The new neighbourhood of up to 950 dwellings connects to the existing town via a number of green corridors that in turn create a network of public open spaces through the development. New residents will be supported by a new primary school and a small local centre, located at the centre of the scheme and alongside key community recreation spaces to create a focal activity area for the community. Employment uses are located at the edge of the site, linking to primary access routes and existing employment area.

A key aim was to ensure that the new neighbourhood was supported by the necessary new infrastructure, offering benefits to both new and existing residents, whilst not competing with the existing town centre functions.

Grove Gardens has been secured through an outline planning application and supporting Environmental Impact Assessment that received approval in January 2021.

Green infrastructure and design coding

The phased development of Grove Gardens will be guided by a Design Code that was prepared by Define and approved by the Council. This continues to have a strong landscape focus, drawing from the comprehensive Green Infrastructure Strategy for the overall site; creating a sustainable neighbourhood that supports the existing town and provides high quality open space to limit pressure on more sensitive coastal areas.

Delivery

Delivery of development within the site was subsequently delayed as a result of nutrient neutrality requirements following the issue of guidance by Natural England in 2022. Aside from ensuring the Design Code and Green Infrastructure Strategy aligned with these evolving requirements, Define has continued to support the implementation of key infrastructure, through a number of further planning applications that will enable the comprehensive delivery of the development going forward.