Our work was supporting the promotion of the site through Huntingdonshire’s Local Plan process. To be allocated a site needs to be suitable, achievable, and available, so our challenge was to tell a powerful story and establish a high standard of design while demonstrating to the Local Authority and to our clients that our ideas were possible from a practical perspective. We also had the exciting design challenge of creating a brand-new place from scratch. We had all the ingredients: 4500 homes, innovative employment, a mixed-use town centre and all the amenities a community needs.

We analysed the strengths and weaknesses of other UK Garden Communities and explored the evolution of historic market towns. The masterplan connects Sibson to the Nene Valley with green active travel connections. We established a town centre at the heart of the development to provide a hub both for residents and employees of EcoDynamo, the sustainable employment area. This responds to future pressures by being proportionate in scale, not relying solely on retail and integrating flexible units, drawing on Vicky’s research into the future of high streets. Analysis on density and typologies helped us ensure that the neighbourhoods were compact enough to be sustainable while respecting rural character.

We are pleased to have built a strong consensus between the client and consultant team, integrating technical and viability considerations into a high-quality masterplan that feels like a real place. We’ve also helped develop an aspirational and credible narrative for Sibson, underpinned by robust design and viability work. In collaboration with the branding and engagement teams we have had positive and productive conversations with key stakeholders including Homes England.

Our proposals were submitted to the Huntingdonshire Local Plan in November 2024.

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