Sweechbridge Road, Hillborough

Our illustrative masterplan for the Hillborough site, with the proposed first phase outlined in yellow. Key facts about the scheme are as follows:
- Up to 955 new homes including a proportion of affordable housing to be agreed with Canterbury City Council
- A community hub incorporating a mix of potential retail and community uses together with further employment land
- Land for the Local Education Authority to provide a new two-form entry primary school
- Public open space including green corridors, ecology enhancement, children's play areas, allotments, pocket parks, local squares and attenuation basins for drainage
- Vehicular access from two locations in Sweechbridge Road and a third from Altira Business Park
- Opportunity for integrated links with neighbouring development land within site allocation, plus improvements to westbound access to Thanet Way from Heart in Hand Road

Key changes (numbered descriptions correspond to the numbers shown on the plan):
1) Design development of the location and anticipated arrangement of a two-form entry primary school in the context of a community hub, with on-site drop-off/collection facility and footpath/cycleway connections in all directions.
2) Provision of vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access through to the new retail and business park to reduce traffic on Sweechbridge Road.
3) Continued consideration of the potential for May Street railway bridge to provide vehicular access between the north and south of the site.
4) Retention of the existing drainage ditch and maintenance access to it along the northern boundary of the site to ensure there is no increase in flood risk to existing adjacent properties.
5) Development of an attractive and inter-connected green infrastructure parkland across the site, incorporating an integrated and landscaped stormwater attenuation design with ecology opportunities and a network of new public footpath linkages. 6) Space for the provision of new allotments with provision for both able and disabled users, together with car parking and access.
7) Space for the provision of grassed sports pitches with a changing pavilion and parking.
8) Two new equipped areas of pla have been appropriately located within the site, with potential for a central neighbourhood area of play and local area of play on the adjacent allocated land to the north-west.
9) A transitional zone of employment uses (e.g. care home, nursery, sot play space or gym, etc) to provide a sensitive interface between residential and industrial elements.
10) Space for a community building around the community hub, with local shopping facilities including scope for a convenience store.
11) Design development of the vehicular accesses to Sweechbridge Road.
12) Opportunities for improvements to the existing public highway to create improved pedestrian and cycle linkages via Bogshole Lane footbridge to Altira Business Park.
13) The continuation and landscaping of an acoustic bund, respecting existing woodland on Thanet Way (A299).

Our green infrastructure masterplan for the Hillborough site. Key elements are as follows:
- Sculptural meadow gateway entrance spaces
- Northern play area (LEAP)
- Woodland glade
- Meadows parkland
- Local square and orchard
- Local square and community green
- Local green
- Sports pitches
- Allotments
- Meadows parkland entrance
- Southern play area and local square
- Southern greenway
- Internal pocket parks
- Sustainable urban drainage systems to ensure flood risk does not increase
- Attenuation ponds and retention and refurbishment of existing ditch system where necessary
- Foul drainage to connect existing Southern Water system (adequate capacity confirmed)

Our landscaping proposals for Phase 1 at Hillborough.

Indicative sections illustrating our proposals to retain and enhance the existing ditch at the northern edge of the Phase 1 site. The location of each section diagram is indicated on the plan (bottom right).

Access proposals

Shown here are the main access proposals for our development. These proposals have sought to take into consideration the comments we received in relation to access and highways issues during our November 2015 public consultation.

Key facts about our access proposals (numbered descriptions correspond to numbers shown on the plan):
1) There are three principal vehicular access points to our proposed development - two from Sweechbridge Road (one north of the railway and one south of the railway) and the third from Altira Business Park. The link to the business park will allow free movement of residential traffic but will restrict goods vehicles from entering the residential area.
2) There is further scope to link vehicular access with the remaining development land to the north-west by way of connection and continuation of our proposed road network.
3) There is potential for the remaining development land to link to the existing road network of Osborne Gardens and Churchill Avenue.
4) The scheme maintains potential scope for public transport, cycles and pedestrian linkage to the north via Rosebery Avenue (subject to land control). 5) The scheme proposes enhanced pedestrian and cycle linkages via May Street railway bridge. There is also scope for vehicular access over May Street railway bridge, subject to ongoing discussions with Network Rail.
6) It is proposed that May Street, between the site and Reculver Road, will be a footpath and cycleway link with no vehicular access allowed other than for emergency access and to private property at The Elms.
7) The scheme proposes a new dedicated westbound access slip road on to Thanet Way (A299) and alteration of the existing slip road to an exit only.
8) The scheme proposes enhanced pedestrian and cycle linkages via Bogshole Lane railway bridge.
- Enhanced pedestrian and cycle links to and from the site via May Street, Altira Park, and Public Rights of Way to Osborne Gardens and Highfields Avenue to fully integrate the site with the existing community and facilities.
- Sustainable links towards existing primary and secondary schools enhanced.
- Diversion of bus routes from Sweechbridge Road with new turning facilities and high-quality waiting facilities.

1) Land owned by A&E Estate Developers (indicative layout shown as part of emerging masterplan for entire site).
2) Land owned by Kitewood (indicative layout shown as part of emerging masterplan for entire site).
3) Altira Business Park.

An initial layout plan for our proposed Phase 1 development. Numbers 1 to 4 correspond with illustrative street scenes shown below. Key facts about Phase 1 are as follows:
- 186 new homes including up to 30% affordable housing.
- A mix of property types to include 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, and 2, 3 and 4-bedroom houses to suit a range of needs.
- Predominantly 2-storey buildings with some 3-storey homes along the central avenue and on focal corners.
- A mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached homes, all with parking.
- Vehicular access from Sweechbridge Road via a new T-junction.
- Landscaping and public open space to include an equipped play area, plus green links through the development.
- Pedestrian and cycle links to the surrounding area via May Street.

Our proposed designs for Hillborough Phase 1

Our proposed scheme seeks to create a high-quality development that can fulfil the local need for market and affordable housing while respecting the character and heritage of the surrounding area. The images below illustrate how our proposed new homes could look, showing examples of some of the architectural styles, features and building materials we are proposing to use. The numbered view correspond to the locations shown on the plan above.

VIEW 1: Street scene of dwellings forming 'The Gables' at the entrance to the site.

VIEW 2: Street scene of dwellings along The Avenue (North) at the entrance to the site.

VIEW 3: Street scene of dwellings forming the green edge around the Meadow Parkland.

VIEW 4: Street scene of dwellings in the core housing areas.