News

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  RNIB Planning Submission

  This month we submitted a detailed planning application for a pioneering scheme in Redhill, Surrey on behalf of the Royal National Institute of Blind People. The proposals are for a new integrated community where blind, partially sighted and sighted residents live side by side.

  Contemporary homes cascade and rise with the natural topography, whilst the public realm is designed as an exciting sensory experience for all residents. A Grade II listed Tudor House will also be converted and extended into a Community Hub, comprising staff offices, training and educational facilities.

  December 2014

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  574 Homes Approved Under Delegated Powers at Oakgrove

  Planning Permission for Phase 4 of Oakgrove Village, Milton Keynes was granted on December 23rd 2014 under the Planning Officer’s delegated powers.

  What an achievement – obtaining planning permissions for 574 new houses and apartments (in 3 reserved matters applications) in under a year!

  Read more

  December 2014

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  House warming at Central Plaza

  Central Plaza is now complete and all the new residents have moved in. The park now flows right through the middle of Central Plaza – allowing public access from one end of Park Central to the other.

  All in all the feedback has been phenomenal – attaining the highest scores for resident satisfaction.

  September 2014

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  Planning Permission for Grange Walk

  We are delighted that we have won planning permission for this 167 mixed-tenure apartment development in Grange Walk, Bermondsey, London. Grange Walk achieves a very high density, without needing to go taller than 7 storeys, and whilst retaining more than a quarter of the site as high quality landscaped amenity space – above basement car parking.

  Triangular terraces are used to create dual aspect apartments – more than 2/3rds of the apartments are dual aspect. This also animates the street facades. Work now starts apace to prepare the construction drawings.

  September 2014

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  British Homes Award

  We are delighted that Park Central, Birmingham has just won a Sunday Times British Homes Award for the Large Scale Housing Development of the Year 2014. The award is given to a residential development that demonstrates a positive architectural contribution within its context, and is judged on design, layout, landscape and the provision of amenity.

  Over the last 14 years this successful regeneration project has been gradually transforming the former Lee Bank council estate in Birmingham into a great new place to live – and it is still setting benchmarks for high quality design!

  September 2014

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  Kidbrooke Phase 6 - Submitted for Planning

  The planning application for Phase 6 of the Kidbrooke Village development has just been submitted. It really is a sizeable set of documents! The proposals are for 713 new homes and 133 ‘Senior Living’ apartments. Providing a wide variety of dwelling types, from 1 bedroom apartments to 4 bedroom townhouses.

  These high quality family homes enjoy a beautiful new parkland setting – 3.63 hectares of new park. The proposals also bring forward the delivery of the new Wingfield Primary School and will ensure the delivery of retail space and community facilities for the area.

  August 2014

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  Brussels

  To mark the successful completion of several major projects over the summer, GSA visited Brussels for a team-building day at the end of August. Each of the four teams spread out from the Grand Place on a themed challenge to discover the culture and heritage of Brussels.

  The trail led through the historic and ornate buildings of the old city, culminating at one of the few remaining taverns from the Belle Epoque. The day was rounded off with a cordial meal – traditional moules and frites and waffles were on the menu, of course!

  August 2014

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  Oakgrove …. Delegated Powers …. Again!

  This Crest Nicholson development at Oakgrove has received another vote of confidence in May. Delegated powers were used for the second time to approve Phase 3 containing 288 dwellings and associated communal gardens and parkland.

  This mixed-use development is going from strength-to-strength with a strong identity and sense-of-place. Confidence in the project is high and we have been instructed to move ahead with the following phase.

  May 2014

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  Park Central Estate Regeneration continues with Zone 8B Approval

  At the beginning of April we gained planning approval for the latest phase of this large, mixed-use estate regeneration project in Central Birmingham.

  Zone 8B provides 7 houses and 24 apartments in a highly bespoke arrangement at the southern gateway to Park Central.

  Read more

  April 2014

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  Townscape Diversity with Bio-diversity

  It seems that Spring is bringing the green shoots of regeneration to Southern England. In March Beaulieu Park was given Outline Approval. In April it’s the turn of Wintringham Park, a strategic development of 2,800 homes with a new district centre and education facilities.

  Our concept for the site contrasts the existing wildlife corridors crossing east and west with a new manicured parkland running north south. The emergent character areas are as diverse in townscape as they are in bio-diversity.

  April 2014

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  Outline Approval for Beaulieu Park Masterplan

  This significant strategic development for Countryside Properties took a huge leap forward in March with the signing of the Section 106 agreement cementing the Outline Planning Approval.

  The Masterplan creates a Parkland Landscape led framework for the development of approximately 3,500 new homes, schools, employment uses and a new railway station. Creation of distinct character areas are balanced with the need to create overall cohesion and a single sense-of-place.

  March 2014

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  George Gardner joins Trade Mission to South Korea

  George was invited to join this trade mission to Seoul. He was joined by representatives of British Expertise, BRE, Energy Saving Trust, ERM, Kings College London, University of Reading and University College London.

  The mission made several visits to Samsung, POSCO and GS Construction. George was also personally invited to attend the annual conference of the Korean Housing Association – a rare honour!

  February 2014

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  GSA Appointment for Retail Centre & Nursery

  GSA has been appointed to design the Local Centre, including a new nursery school, at Broadbridge Heath in West Sussex. The design needs to nestle into a residential environment and create a destination facility.

  Our design concept incorporates a Nursery School on two levels with a rather innovative covered roof garden. We will be developing the design proposals through the spring and summer.

  February 2014

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  Beaulieu – Phase 1 RMA submitted

  In January we submitted the Reserved Matters Application for the residential Phase 1 at Beaulieu Park. This is the first phase of a large regeneration project incorporating residential, a new business quarter, a new railway station, schools and a local centre, all on the site of a Henry VIII hunting lodge.

  Our design concept borrowed from Henry VIII’s idea of ‘rides through avenues of trees’ to create a landscape led approach that is rooted in history yet is a beautiful contemporary townscape. The townscape symbolises the historic power of one man becoming an expression of modern democracy.

  January 2014