MONTH IN REVIEW
PROPOSAL
PLANS APPROVED FOR BROADWAY MALYAN ’ S 375- HOME APARTMENT SCHEME
Broadway Malyan ’ s proposals to replace a former corporate headquarters with a major residential scheme have been approved by planners in Waltonupon-Thames near London .
The new scheme will provide 375-new homes and will replace the former Birds Eye headquarters which has stood empty on the site for more than a decade .
The existing building , designed by Burnet , Tait & Partners in the early 1960s , is Grade-II listed , but the loadbearing superstructure of the main office building is constructed using pre-cast beams comprising High Alumina Cement ( HAC ) which was subsequently banned due to its potential for catastrophic structural failure .
The idea of the project is centred around a ‘ jewel ’ building with an enclosed formal courtyard that echoes the existing courtyards but now in the form of residential amenity .
The design is bound together with a significant landscape proposal for the six hectare site . This also draws on the ordered geometry of the original Birds Eye masterplan . It will see a series of streets and spaces lined with new and existing mature trees and planting within the streetscape provides a legible streetscape for the new residential community .
It has been a storming year for Green-tech but it hasn ’ t happened by chance . The team have stuck in and worked hard . I ’ m delighted that our hard work and commitment to the industry and our clients has paid off .”
Richard Kay , Green-tech chairman
CORPORATE
GREEN-TECH CELEBRATES ‘ RECORD BREAKING ’ YEAR
Landscape supplier Green-tech is celebrating a “ record breaking ” year in sales since it first started in 1994 .
February was the highlight as the group achieved an “ unprecedented ” £ 1.6m of sales . The company is expecting to end their financial year with an annual turnover of £ 14.5m , up 14.5 % on last year .
Chairman Richard Kay said : “ It has been a storming year for Green-tech but it hasn ’ t happened by chance . The team have stuck in and worked hard . I ’ m delighted that our hard work and commitment to the industry and our clients has paid off .
He added : “ We have increased our turnover by 13 % from 2017 which is no mean feat in an incredibly competitive marketplace . We have big plans to take on more apprentices and get more heavily involved in educating the younger generation who will be the future of Green-tech .
“ We ’ ll continue with our new product development , looking for good-fit acquisitions and making sure there ’ s no better choice when it comes to choosing a landscape supplier .”
AWARD
LDA REVEALS DESIGN FOR SHREWSBURY 2036 VISION
LDA Design has developed a landscape-led vision for how the historic county town of Shrewsbury will look by 2036 .
LDA Design has developed the plan with partners Shrewsbury Bid , Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council .
The recently published Grimsey Review 2 ( July 2018 ) set out 25 recommendations to revitalise the UK ’ s ailing town centres . Shrewsbury ’ s planners and decision-makers have gone a step further , adopting a holistic approach to make the whole town more liveable , not just the centre . It could become a blueprint for other county towns to follow .
‘ The Big Town Plan ’ provides a framework to make Shrewsbury more resilient , directing investment in new housing and start-ups from the periphery into the centre .
Priorities include : rethinking movement and place ; supporting , creating and nurturing town vitality and a mix of uses ; creating a place for enterprise ; and boosting natural Shrewsbury .
The plan aims to strengthen the all-year-round appeal of the town through more events and activities , and increase its attraction for cyclists and pedestrians , including with a central pedestrian-priority promenade .
September 2018 | Landscape Insight 11