Planning won for Winchester's largest social housing scheme


Snug have just won planning permission for Winchester City Council’s largest affordable housing scheme. The project consists of 76 new affordable homes at The Valley in Stanmore and forms part the council’s ambitious New Homes Delivery programme. The scheme was unanimously approved at Committee with councillors commending both the innovative design and the consultation process.

The scheme provid​​​​​​es a mixture of 2 and 3 bedroom houses and 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats. The site nestles into the steeply sloping topography of The Valley and creates a new edge to the existing park landscape. The buildings are positioned in response to existing and proposed patterns of movement through the site, serving to reinforce views and vistas. The design utilises Snug's theory of Shrink Wrapped Function to reduce the perceived scale of the buildings, soften their impact on the landscape and relate well to the human scale. The approach to the buildings form and appearance is derived from a contextual analysis of the existing Stanmore estate’s arts and crafts vernacular and results in a significant new development that sits comfortably in its setting.

The application was developed through a comprehensive process of public engagement with the local commun​​ity and will deliver much needed affordable housing for the city by realising the potential of an under-utilised open space.

This is going to be an exciting new addition to an established estate that balances design innovation with contextual sensitivity. It is great to have been part of a development that delivers housing whilst also making meaningful enhancements to the landscape in which it sits.