Maidstone

Cambridge Crescent

The vision re-creates the traditional crescent with an extensive mix of sizes of homes, all 236 homes are 100% affordable. The estate regeneration revamps the popular local shopping centre replacing it with accessible and attractive shops. Additional commercial units are also set within the new landscaped places for the community.

The new homes replace the 114 homes currently on this 1950’s estate. The key to the project has been the engagement with the local community to incorporate their ideas and needs. Initially, surveys were sent to all residents who highlighted their concerns of anti-social behaviour and the quality of current homes, just under 90% felt Cambridge Crescent needed investment. Other outcomes of the consultation highlighted the desire to celebrate past and create attractive, accessible, safe outdoor spaces and shopping facilities.   Their input influenced the design of the public realm and allowed the team to discover stories about the neighbourhood.

The new design creates a more sustainable mix of property types and sizes, with great attention paid to “creating place”. The development is clustered in small courtyards, of houses & apartment blocks connected by interlinking access ways following “homezone” principles, to improve safety and encourage greater levels of interaction in the public realm. The new shopping area creates a new public square as the focus of the development.

The recreation of more traditional street frontages provide a strong, consistent façade utilising simple brick articulation, with improved landscapes and pedestrian connections. Soft landscaped ‘habitat’ zones to attract wildlife and biodiversity are included with areas for creative children’s play and picnic tables. Clear definition of public and private realm creates legibility of space, adopting natural surveillance techniques, while high quality amenity areas encourage shared resident use. Safety has been considered from the outset to simplify the layout, providing clear distinctions of public and private areas.