Willow Barns

The original cobbled courtyard, defined by retained and converted agricultural buildings, has been incorporated and is directly linked to the new internal village street and public entrance. It is designed as a public ‘village square’, hosting a range of social and community events. In contrast, new green spaces for residents have been created perpendicular to the village street between residential blocks and which link visually to the playing fields surrounding the site, extending views in and out of the site. Each has its own distinctive character, providing sun filled, sheltered spaces, which actively encourage residents to take ownership and to participate in outdoor activities.

Planning History

The site formerly housed a traditional sheltered housing scheme, as well as the Blurton depot – a series of agricultural buildings used as storage by the Local Authority. Whilst not listed, the depot was of local historical interest and this part of the site is within the Blurton St Bartholomew’s Church conservation area. The site was identified by Stoke-on-Trent City Council (SCC) as one of three to collectively deliver approx. 400 supported extra care housing units across the city. SCC went on to secure DCLG support through the Round 5 Housing Non HRA PFI. They then prepared a detailed planning brief, the process for which included extensive consultation with local community groups, this brief was used to inform the design development through the competitive dialogue & design process. The SCC planning team were fully consulted at each design stage & they issued feedback to the design team at regular intervals, ensuring that the planning objectives & the design quality were maintained throughout the process. The scheme was submitted for full planning approval in October 2013 & went to the Planning Committee in March 2014. It received unanimous support from members, with the development declared an exemplar for joint public and private sector delivery of high quality developments.