JTP’s landscape-led approach to the masterplan embraces the existing green assets to craft a new unique place, with a distinctive character and strong community focus. A network of multifunctional green spaces features two significant public areas: Howes Green, a new public square surrounded by mixed uses, and The Water Meadows, a transitional space centred around a body of water which is overlooked by dwellings.
A central pedestrian route, The Mews, connects these ‘set pieces’ running as a spine through the centre of the neighbourhood which is interwoven with green and blue threads; a place for both relaxation and play within a landscape of wildflower meadows and trees.
The site currently houses the former buildings of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) which occupied the site from the 1920s to early 2020 and has since relocated its headquarters to an innovative new campus on NIAB’s original Old Granary site.
The legacy of the NIAB as one of Britain’s oldest agricultural science research centres has influenced the landscape network with a range of tree typologies defining the character areas. The work of the NIAB is reflected in the landscape with pockets of productive planting to encourage residents and visitors to engage with the landscape, and forage for fruit, vegetables and herbs on the site.