Land at Roundwood

Croudace Homes needed to secure planning permission for a residential development of 281 dwellings on an 11.43-hectare site at Roundwood, Stevenage. Nicholas Pearson Associates was commissioned to provide collaborative landscape architectural and ecological expertise to help Croudace achieve a balanced, site-sensitive design which met housing delivery targets whilst satisfying planning policy requirements for landscape integration, public open space, and biodiversity enhancement.

The site, an arable field allocated for residential development, borders the existing settlement edge at Stevenage. Round Wood, an Ancient Woodland, lies to the west within an area earmarked for Conservation Area designation status, with a public right of way running parallel to the northern boundary. This established both the development opportunity and the environmental sensitivities that would need careful consideration.

Balancing Housing Delivery with Environmental Sensitivity

How to maximise residential units to meet local housing need whilst delivering planning policy requirements for landscape integration and biodiversity enhancement was the key question. The site’s location adjacent to valued woodland and a prospective Conservation Area meant that every design decision needed to balance development viability with environmental sensitivity. Complementary habitat buffers to existing vegetation at the site’s boundaries were required, alongside sufficient public open space provision. Changes to local play area requirements also needed negotiation to ensure facilities would be compatible with the local context rather than imposing inappropriate ring-fenced playgrounds.

Our Approach

We recognised that early involvement and proactive engagement with North Hertfordshire Council would be essential for success. Our collaborative methodology brought together landscape and visual impact assessment expertise with ecological surveys and biodiversity net gain calculations. As a team, we attended design workshops with the planning authority from the outset, ensuring that our technical findings could directly inform the masterplanning process. This approach allowed the design team to understand site constraints early, making the masterplan development far more effective than traditional linear processes.

We worked closely with Croudace’s internal architectural design team, SLR drainage engineers, TPA transport planners, and Hayden’s arboricultural consultants to ensure all technical inputs were properly coordinated.

Integrated Landscape and Ecological Assessment

Our ecological impact assessment work provided the evidential foundation for environmentally sensitive design decisions. We completed comprehensive ecological surveys that identified existing wildlife habitats and movement corridors, enabling the landscape masterplan to preserve and enhance these features rather than simply mitigating impacts after design completion.

The landscape and visual impact assessment examined views from the adjacent public right of way and surrounding area, informing building heights and landscape buffer design. This technical work directly shaped the site layout to integrate well within the wider landscape context whilst protecting visual amenity for existing residents and countryside users.

Our biodiversity net gain calculations demonstrated that the development would deliver positive wildlife outcomes, essential for planning policy compliance. We prepared landscape general arrangement plans, site sections, open space planting plans, and typical landscape details that translated technical requirements into practical, deliverable design solutions. The planting strategy focused on native species that would strengthen ecological connectivity whilst providing attractive public spaces.

Planning Authority Collaboration & Design Refinement

The design workshops with North Hertfordshire Council planning department proved crucial for project success. Our technical expertise helped facilitate productive discussions about site constraints and opportunities, enabling collaborative problem-solving. We presented ecological and landscape evidence in accessible formats that allowed planning officers to understand the environmental benefits of our proposed approach.

Our ‘play on the way’ facilities proposal, developed through collaborative discussions with planners, offered a more contextually appropriate alternative to traditional formal playgrounds. This approach showed how our technical expertise, combined with stakeholder engagement, can deliver development viability and improved community benefit.

Successful Planning Application

Planning success was achieved through our evidence-based approach to environmental integration. The application received a Resolution to Grant, confirming that our landscape and visual impact assessment, open space provisions, and biodiversity provisions all satisfied local and national planning policy.

Croudace Homes appreciated our collaborative approach and the quality of technical deliverables. The comprehensive ecological surveys provided robust evidence for environmental compliance, whilst our landscape designs ensured the development would help integrate the development within local landscape character.

The project demonstrates how early environmental design support can achieve improved development potential and environmental quality, setting a positive precedent for future residential schemes in sensitive countryside-edge locations.

Please contact us to discuss how our team can help you with your next project.