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Location: Shaftesbury, Dorset, DT10 1AQ
Built: 2002
Designer: Westbury Homes (developers) / Percy Thomas Partnership (architects)
Type: suburban
Density: 45 homes per hectare
Parking ratio: 200%
The team behind the design of highways and housing at Poundbury tested some more of their treatments on a more commonplace site in suburban Shaftesbury where the budget stretched only to defining roads by the colour of the blacktop and unconsolidated gravel.
The relative flatness of the Little Shilling site makes for a different spatial experience from Poundbury and Bryanston Hills, both of which it has affinities with. Footpaths cut through some blocks, and in other cases, access to houses is also available through rear garden doors. The same eclectic mix of supposedly vernacular finishes to house elevations - render, stone, knapped flint, and brick - are combined with a certain inauthenticity of detail in relation to bay windows, quoins etc., which makes the identity of the development more specific than Bryanston, but less believable than Poundbury's first phase. However, the linking of generous spaces to approach roads throughout the scheme - neither squares nor landscapes, but places that nevertheless work well - suggests that a sense of community can grow. The fact that these spaces are linked to car parking solutions is therefore interesting.
Presumably to distinguish primary from secondary routes, roads are finished in either black or red tarmac; pavements are both plain blacktop, and blacktop with unconsolidated gravel. There are conventional and dropped kerbs, used in both the meandering and formal street geometries that characterise Poundbury.
Fronting the smaller two storey terraced cottages are simple groups of parking bays at 90o to the principal elevations; these are separated visually from the roadway by strips of granite setts, and from the pavement by low kerbs. Some of this parking is also punctuated by trees inset centrally within the parking zone. The second solution uses timber gated courts with as many as five garages, set behind high garden walls.
Somewhat oddly, the streets where this arrangement is prevalent have no clearly defined pedestrian zone, and apparently little traffic calming. A variation of the court model arranges garages on plot in singles, pairs, or threes, with extensive hardstanding preceding
The development comprises 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses arranged in 2, 2.5 and 3 storey terraces.
Plan showing location of case studies within the wider development.
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Redtop defines movement from a thoroughfare into a secondary street.
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The modest building height is exaggerated by the number of parking bays.
Red Light! - In some variations of on-street parking, pavement space for pedestrians between homes and cars is too narrow.
Proceed With Caution! - Effective integration of landscaping in this instance, but more trees would still be desirable. Additionally, when all spaces are occupied cars may dominate the street.
Green Light! - Parking areas are properly defined, well-detailed with quality materials to the edges, and have drainage channels. The depth of hard standing on both sides of the street creates spacious defacto squares along major routes through the scheme.
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Wide approaches allow for additional on street parking for residents and visitors.
Red Light! - In some variations of on-street parking, pavement space for pedestrians between homes and cars is too narrow.
Proceed With Caution! - Effective integration of landscaping in this instance, but more trees would still be desirable. Additionally, when all spaces are occupied cars may dominate the street.
Green Light! - Parking areas are properly defined, well-detailed with quality materials to the edges, and have drainage channels. The depth of hard standing on both sides of the street creates spacious defacto squares along major routes through the scheme.
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Cars are conveniently close to homes.
Red Light! - In some variations of on-street parking, pavement space for pedestrians between homes and cars is too narrow.
Proceed With Caution! - Effective integration of landscaping in this instance, but more trees would still be desirable. Additionally, when all spaces are occupied cars may dominate the street.
Green Light! - Parking areas are properly defined, well-detailed with quality materials to the edges, and have drainage channels. The depth of hard standing on both sides of the street creates spacious defacto squares along major routes through the scheme.
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Bays are unallocated, but there is little passing traffic.
Red Light! - In some variations of on-street parking, pavement space for pedestrians between homes and cars is too narrow.
Proceed With Caution! - Effective integration of landscaping in this instance, but more trees would still be desirable. Additionally, when all spaces are occupied cars may dominate the street.
Green Light! - Parking areas are properly defined, well-detailed with quality materials to the edges, and have drainage channels. The depth of hard standing on both sides of the street creates spacious defacto squares along major routes through the scheme.
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Plan showing typical arrangement of on-street type parking - at right angles to the pavement - within the scheme.
Red Light! - In some variations of on-street parking, pavement space for pedestrians between homes and cars is too narrow.
Proceed With Caution! - Effective integration of landscaping in this instance, but more trees would still be desirable. Additionally, when all spaces are occupied cars may dominate the street.
Green Light! - Parking areas are properly defined, well-detailed with quality materials to the edges, and have drainage channels. The depth of hard standing on both sides of the street creates spacious defacto squares along major routes through the scheme.
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Building line close to highway means garages do less to undermine enclosure.
Red Light! - Large areas of hard-standing preceding garages impinges on garden area.
Proceed with Caution! - Where ungated, garage doors opening to street is visually inconsistent with architectural language elsewhere. Also, the quality of provision varies from plot to plot, with variable access and area of hard-standing available.
Green Light! - Location at rear of plots gives option for garden storage, whilst the building line close to the highway reduces the impact of cars behind the units.
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Building line close to highway means garages do less to undermine enclosure.
Red Light! - Large areas of hard-standing preceding garages impinges on garden area.
Proceed with Caution! - Where ungated, garage doors opening to street is visually inconsistent with architectural language elsewhere. Also, the quality of provision varies from plot to plot, with variable access and area of hard-standing available.
Green Light! - Location at rear of plots gives option for garden storage, whilst the building line close to the highway reduces the impact of cars behind the units.
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Plan showing typical arrangement of on-plot, detached garage type parking within the scheme.
Red Light! - Large areas of hard-standing preceding garages impinges on garden area.
Proceed with Caution! - Where ungated, garage doors opening to street is visually inconsistent with architectural language elsewhere. Also, the quality of provision varies from plot to plot, with variable access and area of hard-standing available.
Green Light! - Location at rear of plots gives option for garden storage, whilst the building line close to the highway reduces the impact of cars behind the units.
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High walls and gates stress urban nature of street design.
Red Light! - Large areas of hard-standing preceding garages impinges on garden area.
Proceed with Caution! - Where ungated, garage doors opening to street is visually inconsistent with architectural language elsewhere. Also, the quality of provision varies from plot to plot, with variable access and area of hard-standing available.
Green Light! - Location at rear of plots gives option for garden storage, whilst the building line close to the highway reduces the impact of cars behind the units.
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Hardstanding in front means garage likely to become garden store.
Red Light! - Large areas of hard-standing preceding garages impinges on garden area.
Proceed with Caution! - Where ungated, garage doors opening to street is visually inconsistent with architectural language elsewhere. Also, the quality of provision varies from plot to plot, with variable access and area of hard-standing available.
Green Light! - Location at rear of plots gives option for garden storage, whilst the building line close to the highway reduces the impact of cars behind the units.
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Space submitted by Sam Brown
17 October 2013