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29 new social rented homes, and a new community space
The design approach at Meeting House Lane produces a scheme that makes a dramatic improvement to the current underutilised spaces and lack of amenity around the site. At an urban level it repairs the street by re-instating a regular rhythm that mirrors the Victorian terraced housing opposite. It is a confident form with a simple palette of materials which respond to the scale and mixed character of the surroundings. The scheme provides 29 social rent dwellings comprised of nine one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units. The internal organisation creates a building with 100% dual aspect dwellings through the use of four cores. All wheelchair accessible units are at ground level with generous gardens and defensible space to ensure privacy is maintained.
Towards the apex the building narrows, forming a dramatic 'prow' with projecting balconies above announcing the Community Hall on the ground floor. On the Eastern elevation there are small entrance pavilions fronting the shared space with copper clad roofs. These set up a rhythm similar to the first floor projecting bays of the neighbouring Acorn Estate and echo the browny red tones of the clay tiles.