selected projects

Stephen Robins // Selected Projects

March 2013

Project //Community Planning

Clients //Public bodies, local authorities, land owners, land promoters, developers and house builders.

Sustainable development is most effectively achieved if it engages stakeholder knowledge and commitment at every stage of the process.

Participatory techniques can be applied at any scale of project, and have been shown to accelerate the decision-making process, break down barriers and achieve a common sense of ownership. I have facilitated a range of collaborative planning events including community planning weekends and key stakeholder charrettes.


March 2013

Project leader overseeing the preparation of 100ha mixed use urban extension to the village of Hethersett.

The development at Hethersett North provides the opportunity to create new distinctive high quality and sustainable mixed-use neighbourhoods, containing up to 1,196 homes, set within a generous and spectacular landscape network of parks, water features, sports pitches, allotments, community gardens and cycle ways. The majority of the site will be accessible to the public offering a new and significant leisure resource for the residents of Hethersett.

Project //Hethersett North, Hethersett, NorfolkMasterplan to outline planning submission

Client //Ptarmigan Land

A sensitive approach to development is adopted, fitting in with the existing valuable landscape structure of natural features including trees, hedgerows, ponds and other ecologically sensitive areas.

The development will have a strong sense of belonging to South Norfolk promoted by a clear hierarchy of memorable spaces, landscape features and buildings.


March 2013

The following sequence of diagrams, show the key organising principles for the proposed development at Hethersett.

Project //Hethersett North, Hethersett, NorfolkMasterplan to outline planning submission

Client //Ptarmigan Land

1. The site today. 2. Establish a primary landscape network.

4. Hethersett grows.3. Establish a secondary landscape network.

6. Establish secondary routes5. Connect the east to the west

8. Creation of a neighbourhood hub7. Anchor parks

10. Neighbourhood community focal points9. Downgrade Back Lane


March 2013

Project //Land West of Southwater, Southwater, HorshamMasterplan to outline planning submission

Client //Berkeley

Project leader overseeing the preparation of 513 home urban extension of Southwater, Horsham.

The vision for land west of Southwater is informed by appreciating the DNA of the village. The proposals draw upon the village’s best qualities to create an appropriate yet distinct character.

The land west of Southwater will deliver new and improved community assets including a new cricket pitch and sports pavilion, football pitches, a site for a secondary school, a new parish building, improvements to the village hall and expanded allotments.


March 2013

Creator the JTP Vision Document methodology forming part of formal representations to emerging Core Strategies.

The document sets out the vision for the site, the principles of development and the identification of benefits of developing at particular location. Benefits may include access to existing facilities or other sustainable criteria such as public transport or cycle and pedestrian routes.

Project //Vision documents/Representations

Client //Various including Quintain, General Motors, land owners and Ptarmigan Land


March 2013

Private commission for a feasibility study prepared on behalf of Transport for London in support of the redevelopment of the land at Hounslow West Underground Station.

Proposals include a high density mixed use scheme composed of apartments, office, retail and a new transport interchange set around the grade II listed station building.

Project //Hounslow West Tube Station, Hounslow

Feasibility Study

(private commission)

Client //Transport for London (TfL)


March 2013

Project //Chesterfield Waterside, Chesterfield

Masterplan to outline planning submission

Client //Chesterfield Waterside Partnership

Associate Director overseeing the preparation of 24ha mixed-use waterside masterplan on a brownfield site adjacent to town centre. The redevelopment involves the creation of a mixed-use heart, set around a new canal basin serving as the terminus for a newly revitalised 40 mile stretch of canal.

Proposals also include a new navigable canal arm, 1,200 homes, shops bars, cafes, reasturants, office space, an ecological park, homezones and an extensive SUDS network.


March 2013

Project //Lower Broughton, Salford Manchester

Development framework toward SPD

Client //Countryside Properties

Associate Director overseeing the design aspect of 50ha+ Development Framework for Lower Broughton, a brownfield site in East Salford only 25 minutes walk from Manchester City Centre. Currently an underused area with industrial uses along the River Irwell and low quality housing with ill defined or underused associated open space. Lower Broughton is a critical site in the realisation of Salfords’ aspirations for regeneration and strengthening its role in the wider city region.

The Development Framework is designed to articulate the vision for Lower Broughton and how it will be achieved in terms of built form. It explains the story behind the vision; in particular how the proposed development could physically deliver much needed social infrastructure and facilities in an area suffering from lack of investment and social pride.

Regeneration proposals involve the repopulation of the failing neighbourhood through the provision of new homes, provision of new jobs, a re-envisaged local centre and the creation of a city-significant waterside park.


March 2013

Project //West Ruislip, Hillingdon

Masterplan to outline planning submission

Client //St. Modwen & Vinci

Project leader for the redevelopment of an ex Ministry of Defence brownfield site in the London Borough Of Hillingdon. The redevelopment proposes 500 new homes, a community hall, school and new playing fields.


March 2013

Project //Tattenhoe Park, Milton Keynes

Development framework to outline planning submission

Client //English Partnerships

Project leader for 52ha site proposing a new neighbourhood of over 1,300 new homes, with shops and community facilities, public open space and a new primary school.

The masterplan aims to deliver an attractive, well designed place to live, with strong connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and the wider city.


March 2013

Project //Yew Tree Farm, Burscough

Vision for representations (private commission)

Client //Crompton Developments

Private urban design commission through Mosaic Urban Design Ltd.

Masterplan for a 1,100 unit mixed use masterplan in Burscough, West Lancashire. Proposals include a new town park, feature lake, allotments, youth centre, local mixed use centre comprising shops, office space, workshops, apartments, a cafe and public house.

The scheme is currently being promoted through the West Lancashire Core Strategy.

March 2013


King Abdullah CARE is a new city of 60,000 residents with the primary purpose of spearheading research and industry in the fields of atomic and renewable energy. As such, the Masterplan reflects this vision by providing a sustainable environment for a viable national atomic and renewable energy sector. The Masterplan allows for the cross fertilization of research and industry as well as the permeation of ideas and products between the city and the rest of the kingdom.

Project //King Abdullah CARE Eco City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Development framework for a new sustainable city

Client //King Abdullah CARE


March 2013

Design leader overseeing the design of a new expatriate community in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Located western Riyad the proposal incorporates over 1,000 new homes in a mixture of apartments and terraced, semi-detached and detached houses.

The heart of the scheme provides a range of community facilities including a souk, ciniema and community club house all set in generous, spectacular landscape.

Project //Diriyah, Riyad, Saudi Arabia

Masterplan

Client //Millenium Development and Saudi Oger


March 2013

Project //Oak Park, Detroit, United States of America

Competition //Resilient Cities –2nd Place

Detroit exemplifies the typical American city suffering from declining fortunes of the car industry and empty abandoned streets caused by the sub prime mortgage crisis. With large areas of Detroit abandoned and left to decay its time to re-evaluate the fundamental structure of the city alongside recommendations for a new denser suburban grain to create a true resilient city.

By giving back swathes of land within the city to urban agriculture, bio fuel crops and renewable energy resources such as solar farms can we turn abandoned parts of the city to the advantage of all and instil a shift to localised urbanism and sustainable living

post peak oil. The subsequent reduced city area available for residential use enables the opportunity for the intensification and restructuring of the remaining suburban areas into local centres capable of supporting themselves from a social, environmental and economic standpoint. All this must be in keeping with the American Dream of freedom of choice. Opportunity for every person to choose how they want to live, whether to redevelop their plot of land on their own, or perhaps with a neighbor, or maybe a developer, or to keep the big house and all the land. Broad choice of accommodation is at the heart of our proposal to foster diverse social sustainability.

selected projects

Documents