Urban Design & Development Consultants Kent
Ethos

Welcome to Designscape Consultancy Ltd.

At Designscape, we have a commitment to raising the quality of life through a dedication to quality in the built environment. This quality is evident in the many projects to which we have made an important contribution. The key is to direct economic strength and development opportunities in a manner which raises rather than compromises the quality of life for the general population. Growth results in extreme pressure on our natural environment and traditional settlements. Development needs to be set against the need to protect outstanding countryside from sprawl and to protect high quality townscape of our towns and cities from unacceptable town cramming. The answer is to approach development with optimism combined with sensitivity.

Designscape Consultancy Ltd is based in South-East England. This is one of the most dynamic regions in Europe. Based in the heart of Kent, Designscape is well placed for our London projects and is located between the Thames Gateway and Ashford growth areas, two of the key strategic growth areas of the United Kingdom.

 

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Contact Details

Designscape Consultancy
1A The Landway, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent ME14 4BD
Tel 01622 735977
Fax 01622 736087

Company News
Projects
Recent and Current Projects
Designscape has a reputation for design quality, evident in the many projects on which we are currently working. 2008 was our best year to date, with numerous commissions and planning approvals.
We rounded off the year, in December, by being Highly Commended in the Ashford Excellence Awards.
2008 also was particularly successful regards securing planning approvals for our clients, with approval for 6 apartments in Maidstone in October, 14 high quality apartments in Maidstone town centre in August, 5 houses in the Sevenoaks area in April, 30 dwellings in Hastings in March, a large one-off house in the Maidstone area in February, and a large one-off house in Orpington in January. We also provided specialist Urban Design Evidence at Public Inquiry against Southend-on-Sea Council for a proposal for 20 apartments, with the appeal being successfully allowed. These successes are all indicative of the quality we bring to projects, and of how this enhances their chances of planning approval.
Recent commissions we are now taking forward in 2009 include a development of 46 student units plus 8 apartments in Hackney, a mixed use development with 100 apartments in Ashford town centre, 48 apartments and department store in Maidstone town centre, 26 apartments in Maidstone town centre, 17 houses in Wye, and a conversion/new build scheme for six apartments in Maidstone.
We undertake all architectural design and urban design work, planning liaison and planning applications. We undertake the technical working drawings packages for some projects and recently secured Building Regulations approval for our scheme in Hythe.
Urban Design in London
We are the Urban Design Advisor to the London Borough of Greenwich, a post held for over 3 years. This primarily involves assessing the merits of planning applications in the Borough, with emphasis on large-scale Major schemes and on the Thames waterfront. Greenwich is perhaps the most exciting Borough in London, with many high-profile schemes and with the most extensive waterfront of any Borough. Together with the advice of CABE and the GLA's Design for London, we are helping to raise the bar regarding the level of design expectation.
Design and Access Statements
A Key Part of the Planning Process
Design and Access Statements are, since August 2006, a mandatory part of all planning applications except householder applications (domestic extensions), change of use, and engineering works. Unless relevant applications are accompanied by a Design and Access Statement they will be declared invalid. Design and Access Statements need to assess a development proposal against fundamental design parameters with reference to context. The necessary aspects to address are Use, Amount, Layout, Scale, Landscaping, Appearance, and Access. To be considered valid a Design and Access Statement must cover each of these topics. We have many years of experience of writing Design Statements, and are able to fulfil the requirements of this significant development.
Recent Commissions
We have recently undertaken or are currently working on the design of the following projects;
A large mixed-use development in Bethnal Green comprising a 200-bed hotel, 220 apartments, retail, business starter units, a street market, and a new square.
A "Container City" development in Hackney Wick for workers on the Olympic Park comprising 400 units in 200 containers, with supporting day-to-day needs and leisure facilities.
A 26 unit contemporary residential development in Maidstone town centre.
A 54 unit student accommodation development in Canning Town.
A 45 unit residential/office scheme in Bow.
A 14 unit residential development in Maidstone town centre.
A 48 unit mixed residential and retail scheme on a tight urban site in Maidstone Town Centre.
17 houses in Wye, near Ashford.
A new development of 9 houses in the Sellinge area of east Kent.
A new development of 85 dwellings in the Folkestone area.
A new development of 5 houses in the Sevenoaks area.
A substantial mixed-use leisure-led development in Canterbury City Centre.