Cliveden Village, Taplow
Countryside Properties, in partnership with the National Trust, is creating a sustainable development on a redundant, brownfield site at the Cliveden Estate, near Taplow in Buckinghamshire.
Surrounded as it is by mature landscape, Cliveden Village has been designed as a natural element within the fabric of the English Heritage Grade 1 estate. Its layout echoes the framework of the estate with the north-south axis of the River Thames, the Green Drive and Cliveden House. Its vision harks back to an older model of development of a country house and its kitchen garden. Just as any kitchen garden is laid out to benefit from shelter, orientation and sunlight to make the most of the land, so the design reflects these sustainability principles.
The 14 acre site is being regenerated to make it once again a thriving part of the local community and the Cliveden Estate. It will also provide an income that is vital to the National Trust if it is to continue to care for Cliveden in the future.
The project comprises 135 contemporary 2 and 3 bedroom houses and apartments, and is being built in line with the National Trust’s environmental principles. Cliveden challenges the traditional concept of a new home with a diverse range of architecturally dynamic new apartments and townhouses that were designed to bring the outside in.
The design of the homes blends simplicity and sympathy for the natural surroundings with the highest standards in modern architecture. In recognition of this, Cliveden Village has received a Building for Life Gold Standard. Natural materials are used including oak and timber shingles certified to Forest Stewardship Council standards, copper, English sandstone and natural slate roof tiles giving texture and warmth to the homes and the landscape, and importantly reduced embodied energy. The setting within Cliveden Village has been enhanced with new and diverse green spaces between the mews courts and squares.
All apartments include balconies overlooking the woodland with many being dual aspect. The houses have courtyard gardens, with a number also benefiting from roof terraces with views of the extensive, mature landscape. The properties have been designed to be spacious and offer a contemporary lifestyle, with features such as open plan living, double height spaces, and extensive glazing.
Careful consideration has been given to sustainability in the development of Cliveden Village. Housing layouts have therefore been designed to provide pleasant micro climates. Passive energy use is optimised using controlled beneficial solar gain, with solar shading helping to keep the homes cool in the summer and internal ambience being further maintained through the use of a heat recovery system. Renewable energy is provided through solar panels. Best practice standards are used to ensure that building envelopes are airtight and include high levels of thermal and sound insulation. Rainwater is returned deep into the ground, except for where it is collected for garden irrigation. This helps replenish the aquifers and reduces the risk of flooding.
Every house and apartment also has cycle storage, facilities for a home office and garden compost units. At Cliveden Village we are seeking to encourage a lifestyle that respects sustainability and responsible ways of living. Residents have full access to the Cliveden Estate during opening hours and an Estate Manager is employed to maintain the high standards that have been set for the development and ensure its eco-friendly status for years to come. An important focal point for residents’ queries, the Estate Manager is responsible for issues such as the communal landscaping, refuse disposal, recycling, and composting.
Working closely with the National Trust, Countryside Properties has put in place a far reaching environmental management plan that is being delivered by the Trust’s gardeners. It includes:
- Bat boxes on the woodland edge to provide roosting sites all year round.
- Special log piles and breeding boxes in woodland areas for stag beetles and other invertebrates.
- Nest boxes for birds and dormice.
- The retention of scrub and grassland to encourage new species such as small reptiles and dormice.
- The opening up of the tree canopy in many areas to stimulate the undergrowth and create new habitats for animals, birds, and insects.
- The seeding of grassland areas with species of grass and wild flowers which are appropriate to the area.
- Sensitively sited and specially designed footpaths and formal gardens provide recreational facilities that do not impinge on the wider management of the environment.
- The surrounding woodland edges are being supplemented with additional trees and understorey planting to strengthen the forest screen.
As a result of the sustainability initiatives and the environmental management plan, Cliveden has received a BREEAM/EcoHomes rating of ‘Excellent’.
Cliveden Village is an age restricted development for home buyers aged 55 or above. The first residents moved in, in Summer 2007. For further information visit www.clivedenvillage.co.uk
It has already been awarded:
"Our partnership with Countryside Properties is delivering a development with strong environmental credentials which also sits lightly in its surroundings. We're delighted that our strong desire to build greener solutions into the construction of the Village has been recognised by Countryside Properties."
Patrick Begg, Director for the Thames and Solent region of the National Trust