Penn Hill Penn Hill Poole Re-Format designed and detailed this contemporary scheme of 37 retirement apartments set within the beautiful Branksome Park Conservation Area. From the outset the design team established the guiding principal that the new building should not only preserve the unique verdant nature of the woodland site but that it should also enhance this particular part of the conservation area. To achieve this ambition the team came up with the concept of dividing the accommodation into two separated blocks joined at the ground floor with a minimal glazed link. This simple strategy permitted the installation of a lush planted ‘corridor’ that runs through the centre of the scheme connecting the woodlands at the rear to the heavily treed roadside at the front of the site. “The appeal win is testament to the quality of Re-Format’s design and their meticulous approach to developing a scheme that responded sensitively to its site. Under Re-Format’s direction the design team delivered a great design, supported by a set of high quality, robust drawings and documents.” Jackie Dunn, Senior Development Manager – McCarthy Stone “To my mind therefore, the proposed scheme represents a well-considered and high-quality response to the site and its context. Judged on its own terms, the scheme would make for a well-mannered development, enhancing the CA’s diversity and distinctiveness. In all these respects, the quality of the appeal proposal would exceed that of the existing dwellings. The proposed scheme would therefore result in an overall enhancement of the Conservation Area’s character and appearance.” John Felgate BA (Hons) MA MRTPI The Planning Inspectorate
