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Location: Kingswood, Warrington, WA5 7XT
Built: 2005
Designer: Bellway Homes (developer) / John Wilson Associates (architect)
Type: suburban
Density: 40 homes per hectare
Parking ratio: 175%
Traffic noise from the adjacent M62 demanded deep rear courts as sound attenuation. But the rest of the scheme proposed more original treatments, including several varieties of accommodation over garaging and some excellent public spaces with on street parking.
Butts Green is an impressively detailed scheme of 149 homes developed in partnership with English Partnerships, largely constructed in red brick with matching reconstituted stone dressings around windows and doors. The overall effect is baronial, in particular in the main circus at which one arrives - and reinforced by distinctive manse style detached houses. The ratio of wall to window throughout is rather greater than usual, and the impression is one of solidity and robustness. Away from the circus, detached houses have intricately designed entrances with good quality gauged brickwork. Although the landscaping is not overly generous, finishes to roads and pavements are good quality, with herringbone patterned hardstandings in setts, and buff coloured consolidated gravel roadways. Generally speaking, dropped kerbs are the norm in this scheme.
Parking to the main part of the development outside the circus is dealt with by courts approached through arches under the terraces; in certain cases, these are simple pitched roof canopies rather than actual habitable accommodation over. On street parking to the circus itself is on the opposite side of the access road to the houses, abutting the landscaped area. Because of the presence of the M62 nearby, the bulk of the conventional, unsheltered parking is formed as an acoustic buffer to the east of the site between the motorway and homes. Terraced garages are generally arranged in groups of four, although some parking courts only offer hardstanding; this is presumably for visitors. Elsewhere, short terraces use dormered rooms in the roof to offer integral single garages at street level.
There are some unusual 2 storey units with a garage at street level, and accommodation over. The scheme is distinctive in providing covered bicycle sheds in addition to 150 allocated car parking spaces.
The development comprises 2, 2.5 and 4 storey houses, studios and 1 and 2 bed flats, arranged in long and short terraced townhouses; detached and semi detached houses.
Houses act as sentries to separate access to court.
Red Light! - Location of parking may encourage users to come and go without accessing homes from the street.
Proceed with Caution! - Courts are remote from the homes they serve and offer limited visual contact with residents' vehicles. The provision of bicycle sheds is sensible, but is offset by the physical distance they are from homes. The detailing of garage blocks is of lower quality than that of the surrounding houses.
Green Light! - The landscape design promises much for the future quality of the court, and the surfacing materials are of good quality. Breaking the block into three distinct parking courts encourages sense or ownership over them.
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Plan showing typical arrangement of off-plot, rear-court type parking within the scheme.
Red Light! - Location of parking may encourage users to come and go without accessing homes from the street.
Proceed with Caution! - Courts are remote from the homes they serve and offer limited visual contact with residents' vehicles. The provision of bicycle sheds is sensible, but is offset by the physical distance they are from homes. The detailing of garage blocks is of lower quality than that of the surrounding houses.
Green Light! - The landscape design promises much for the future quality of the court, and the surfacing materials are of good quality. Breaking the block into three distinct parking courts encourages sense or ownership over them.
Be the first to add a comment!
Building stature ensures cars do not dominate.
Proceed with Caution! - Presence of cars interrupts view from ground floor area to landscape area.
Green Light! - The integration of a landscaped circus with a quality parking solution promises a high quality environment when mature, with a high quality of detail design and material specification throughout. The provision of on-street, unallocated parking supplements parking provision in rear courts and encourages the use of the fronts of homes. Good surveillance of cars from both homes and public space.
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Plan showing typical arrangement of on-street parking, angled to the pavement.
Proceed with Caution! - Presence of cars interrupts view from ground floor area to landscape area.
Green Light! - The integration of a landscaped circus with a quality parking solution promises a high quality environment when mature, with a high quality of detail design and material specification throughout. The provision of on-street, unallocated parking supplements parking provision in rear courts and encourages the use of the fronts of homes. Good surveillance of cars from both homes and public space.
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Semi private access to front of crescent good for defensible space.
Proceed with Caution! - Presence of cars interrupts view from ground floor area to landscape area.
Green Light! - The integration of a landscaped circus with a quality parking solution promises a high quality environment when mature, with a high quality of detail design and material specification throughout. The provision of on-street, unallocated parking supplements parking provision in rear courts and encourages the use of the fronts of homes. Good surveillance of cars from both homes and public space.
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Spaces close to trees to reduce impact of cars.
Proceed with Caution! - Presence of cars interrupts view from ground floor area to landscape area.
Green Light! - The integration of a landscaped circus with a quality parking solution promises a high quality environment when mature, with a high quality of detail design and material specification throughout. The provision of on-street, unallocated parking supplements parking provision in rear courts and encourages the use of the fronts of homes. Good surveillance of cars from both homes and public space.
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Plan showing typical arrangement of on-plot, mews court type parking.
Proceed with Caution! - Location of entrance doors over-emphasizes hard-standing, and there is also a lack of clarity in defining areas of visitors' parking. There is fairly limited surveillance of external road caused the inward looking nature of the scheme.
Green Light! - Two-storey accommodation over garages makes efficient use of land. Entrance to - and scale of - court encourages sense of ownership and community interaction. There is good surveillance of the parking court from surrounding homes.
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Duplex flatted accommodation over integral garages.
Proceed with Caution! - Location of entrance doors over-emphasizes hard-standing, and there is also a lack of clarity in defining areas of visitors' parking. There is fairly limited surveillance of external road caused the inward looking nature of the scheme.
Green Light! - Two-storey accommodation over garages makes efficient use of land. Entrance to - and scale of - court encourages sense of ownership and community interaction. There is good surveillance of the parking court from surrounding homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Access to block creates defensible space.
Proceed with Caution! - Location of entrance doors over-emphasizes hard-standing, and there is also a lack of clarity in defining areas of visitors' parking. There is fairly limited surveillance of external road caused the inward looking nature of the scheme.
Green Light! - Two-storey accommodation over garages makes efficient use of land. Entrance to - and scale of - court encourages sense of ownership and community interaction. There is good surveillance of the parking court from surrounding homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Plan showing location of case studies within the wider development. A) On street -angled to pavement; B) On plot; mews court; C) Off plot - rear court; D) On plot - chauffeur unit.
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Easy access from parking to house, but nowhere for visitors.
Red Light! - Parking in front of chauffeur unit detracts from overall streetscape.
Proceed with Caution! - Chauffeur unit creates limited ground floor surveillance.
Green Light! - Accommodation over garages encourages flexible living and adds visual interest to streetscape, with easy access from garage to homes.
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Parking in front of chauffeur unit undermines its attempt to reinvent garages.
Red Light! - Parking in front of chauffeur unit detracts from overall streetscape.
Proceed with Caution! - Chauffeur unit creates limited ground floor surveillance.
Green Light! - Accommodation over garages encourages flexible living and adds visual interest to streetscape, with easy access from garage to homes.
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Back of chauffeur unit is a blank gable.
Red Light! - Parking in front of chauffeur unit detracts from overall streetscape.
Proceed with Caution! - Chauffeur unit creates limited ground floor surveillance.
Green Light! - Accommodation over garages encourages flexible living and adds visual interest to streetscape, with easy access from garage to homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Chauffeur units look at home in wider streetscape.
Red Light! - Parking in front of chauffeur unit detracts from overall streetscape.
Proceed with Caution! - Chauffeur unit creates limited ground floor surveillance.
Green Light! - Accommodation over garages encourages flexible living and adds visual interest to streetscape, with easy access from garage to homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Plan showing typical arrangement of off-plot, chauffeur unit type parking within the scheme.
Red Light! - Parking in front of chauffeur unit detracts from overall streetscape.
Proceed with Caution! - Chauffeur unit creates limited ground floor surveillance.
Green Light! - Accommodation over garages encourages flexible living and adds visual interest to streetscape, with easy access from garage to homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Railings enable cars to be seen from both sides.
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Gable and bonded gravel lifts otherwise simple layout.
Red Light! - Location of parking may encourage users to come and go without accessing homes from the street.
Proceed with Caution! - Courts are remote from the homes they serve and offer limited visual contact with residents' vehicles. The provision of bicycle sheds is sensible, but is offset by the physical distance they are from homes. The detailing of garage blocks is of lower quality than that of the surrounding houses.
Green Light! - The landscape design promises much for the future quality of the court, and the surfacing materials are of good quality. Breaking the block into three distinct parking courts encourages sense or ownership over them.
Be the first to add a comment!
Materials change on entry to denote private space.
Red Light! - Location of parking may encourage users to come and go without accessing homes from the street.
Proceed with Caution! - Courts are remote from the homes they serve and offer limited visual contact with residents' vehicles. The provision of bicycle sheds is sensible, but is offset by the physical distance they are from homes. The detailing of garage blocks is of lower quality than that of the surrounding houses.
Green Light! - The landscape design promises much for the future quality of the court, and the surfacing materials are of good quality. Breaking the block into three distinct parking courts encourages sense or ownership over them.
Be the first to add a comment!
Generous proportions will cope with bad parkers.
Red Light! - Location of parking may encourage users to come and go without accessing homes from the street.
Proceed with Caution! - Courts are remote from the homes they serve and offer limited visual contact with residents' vehicles. The provision of bicycle sheds is sensible, but is offset by the physical distance they are from homes. The detailing of garage blocks is of lower quality than that of the surrounding houses.
Green Light! - The landscape design promises much for the future quality of the court, and the surfacing materials are of good quality. Breaking the block into three distinct parking courts encourages sense or ownership over them.
Be the first to add a comment!
Railings enable cars to be seen from both sides.
Proceed with Caution! - Presence of cars interrupts view from ground floor area to landscape area.
Green Light! - The integration of a landscaped circus with a quality parking solution promises a high quality environment when mature, with a high quality of detail design and material specification throughout. The provision of on-street, unallocated parking supplements parking provision in rear courts and encourages the use of the fronts of homes. Good surveillance of cars from both homes and public space.
Be the first to add a comment!
Pedestrian route through to adjacent square.
Proceed with Caution! - Location of entrance doors over-emphasizes hard-standing, and there is also a lack of clarity in defining areas of visitors' parking. There is fairly limited surveillance of external road caused the inward looking nature of the scheme.
Green Light! - Two-storey accommodation over garages makes efficient use of land. Entrance to - and scale of - court encourages sense of ownership and community interaction. There is good surveillance of the parking court from surrounding homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Additional spaces in front court.
Proceed with Caution! - Location of entrance doors over-emphasizes hard-standing, and there is also a lack of clarity in defining areas of visitors' parking. There is fairly limited surveillance of external road caused the inward looking nature of the scheme.
Green Light! - Two-storey accommodation over garages makes efficient use of land. Entrance to - and scale of - court encourages sense of ownership and community interaction. There is good surveillance of the parking court from surrounding homes.
Be the first to add a comment!
Space submitted by Sam Brown
17 October 2013