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This scheme, a contemporary reading of garden city design has just gone up for planning in front of Hertfordshire council. Three architects have provided the designs.

The £5m plan for Letchworth comprises 60 homes and reinterprets arts & crafts ideas for the 21st century. The original movement was much concerned with situation of homes within a landscape, their vista, closure, accents and group design and the new Letchworth scheme contains comparable elements.

Craig Anders, Partner, Cole Thompson Anders, lead architect, said: ‘We have attempted to reinterpret Garden City principles for a 21st century, highly sustainable lifestyle’

The scheme will aim for code for sustainable homes level four or five. The client is North Hertfordshire Homes.

Houses are positioned around the perimeter of the site with gardens creating a buffer space between the new buildings and the existing neighbourhood. Apartment buildings form a gateway and sheltering wall around a communal garden at the heart of the scheme.

A limited palette of materials and components was used across different building types to create variation with cohesion, simplicity and visual interest.

Environmental features include low carbon, low energy, low water usage, renewable energy sources (ground source heat pump, solar panels), sustainable drainage system/rainwater harvesting and recycling of materials and waste.

The three firms behind the schemes are:

• Cole Thompson Anders, - 55 houses & apartments and master-plan (Executive Architect)
• Higgs Young - 2 houses ) took part in a RIBA competition
• Stride Treglown - 3 houses ) for various plots within the master-plan

Construction is scheduled to begin in March.