The addition of 35 new houses to a dispersed village like Oldtown represented a substantial change to its character. To mitigate the impact of the project on and integrate it with the village, the entrance to the site is located as close as possible to the village to minimise the amount of road widening required. Wheelchair-accessible units are located at the entrance to the site to minimise the distance that their occupants will travel to the village while all other houses are pushed to the edges of the site to open up space for a village green in its centre. Terraces of two-storey houses line the northern and western boundaries, a row of single storey semi-detached houses complete its southern edge, and a soft landscaped village green is created to benefit the whole community and contrast with the hard paved spaces in front of the church and post office. Houses are grouped in terraces that adjust to correspond with the topography of the site and facilitate level access. Houses have rendered walls and tiled roofs pitched in accordance with local tradition and existing hedges bounding the site are renovated and extended to preserve the character and bio-diversity of the landscape.
The houses are designed with enhanced thermal performance, reduced thermal bridging and increased air tightness, along with sustainable technologies including solar panels and condensing boilers.
