| Title: | Hoo Development Framework, Hoo St. Werburgh , Kent, UK |
| Markets: | Residential, Retail and Workplace, Public Realm |
| Client: | Medway Council |
| Services: | Masterplanning and urban design |
| Region: | United Kingdom |
| Date: | 2019 |
| Team: | Gillespies |
| Photography: | Gillespies |
Several settlements based around Hoo St Werburgh in Kent are earmarked for potential expansion to meet Medway’s growth needs over the next 20 years. Medway Council commissioned Gillespies to deliver a development framework and vision to guide how growth could come forward, whilst conserving the area's natural and historic environment.
The Framework aims to establish an appropriate growth strategy and relationship to settlement hierarchy in wider Medway and the broader context. Great care and attention have been given to the proposed extension of Hoo St Werburgh, respecting its natural setting and links to the wider estuary. The Hoo Peninsula has a distinctly different character to urban Medway, and the development approach embeds the landscape and wider environmental qualities to achieve a clearly rural character.
The plan will make a significant contribution to housing supply delivering circa 10,000 new homes while looking into significant upgrades in infrastructure, including transport, health, education and wider community facilities. Furthermore, the Development Framework sets out how to integrate the new development into the Peninsula wider landscape, providing access to the surrounding countryside, extending the green infrastructure network and enhancing biodiversity. The overall framework plan combines Hoo’s new vision and aspirations into an illustrative plan.
Hoo St Werburgh, Chattenden and High Halstow will retain their rural character and unique identity. The additional new homes will bring various infrastructure improvements. This includes a new passenger rail station, road improvements in key junctions and locations, more efficient and frequent bus services, a new pedestrian bridge over the A228, enhancement of both blue and green infrastructure, and the creation of new country parks and a wetland park.
New homes will also bring increased new services, employment, and retail/commercial opportunities set within the distinctive neighbourhood centres and local hubs. Each neighbourhood will have a unique character defined by the surrounding landscape and built form.
