07/11/2022
Highwood has won a 2022 Solent Quality Place Award for three key elements of its landmark North Stoneham Park development in Eastleigh. The Solent Quality Place Awards recognise quality placemaking and thoughtfully designed spaces that benefit communities and visitors across the region.
The prestigious architecture and public space design awards returned in 2022 following a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. As well as highlighting good placemaking and design excellence, the Solent Quality Place Awards commend schemes that add to quality of life and appreciation of local environments.
Highwood’s award recognised North Stoneham Park’s eye-catching Chestnut Park terraced home phase, The Crescent, and the recently completed woodland edge phase that forms part of the Avenue Park, which lies at the south of the wider development.
Set on the grounds of a former deer park, the development, a joint venture with VIVID, was originally granted outline planning consent for 1,100 new homes, a local community centre, school and care home by Eastleigh Local Area Committee in 2016. Judges looked at evidence of the scheme’s good design, its environmental impact, sustainability and whether it had overcome unusual challenges and site constraints.
It was judged against the National Design Guide’s characteristics of high quality placemaking, which ranged from the site’s sensitivity of heritage, its character and identity and the quality of buildings, accessibility and development coherence. Also key was the Park’s support of its rich and varied biodiversity and stunning network of high quality green open spaces and variety of landscapes.
‘We’re thrilled that North Stoneham Park continues to attract the attention and endorsement of the property industry’s judging panels,’ commented Mark Baskerville, Chief Executive Officer of Highwood. ‘The development has consistently sparked interest and joy for its residents and the local community who have a superb new school, a local centre and acres of green spaces on their doorstep.’
Chair of the Eastleigh Local Area Committee, Councillor Alex Bourne, was quick to praise the scheme’s success.
‘We’re delighted the North Stoneham Park development has been recognised for the Solent Quality Place Award,’ he said. ‘It reflects the Council’s commitment to working with developers to enable high quality, sustainable communities, ensuring that the right homes are built in the right place.’
Duncan Short, VIVID Group Resources Director, added: ‘We would like to congratulate Highwood for winning this award and are delighted about the positive contribution that they have made to our development at North Stoneham.’
If you’d like to read more about Highwood’s award-winning development, please visit northstonehampark.co.uk.