Our projects

At Alum Chine in Bournemouth we re-designed and oversaw the construction of a tired-looking play space to incorporate an exciting Treasure Island theme. A secret treasure chest, sand and water play, a hammock to discover in the woods and huge fallen trees all make the most of this great beach location and the play space has become a place enjoyed by adults and children alike.

Close to Lulworth Cove lie the petrified remains of a cypress forest which grew alongside a lagoon in the Jurassic period, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. We provided design support to the Dorset National Landscape team for improved access down the steep cliff face, a new lookout point incorporating a fossilised tree-trunk sourced from a local quarry, and other improvements to the wider landscape setting.

At Lower Eype Farm the new owners needed to erect a barn to store the hay from their 10-acre site. The Landscape and Visual Assessment report process proved instrumental in leading to Planning Permission being secured for this very sensitive location, with numerous landscape designations. The scheme is a good example of how this process can be used constructively, developing a scheme which successfully accommodated the various and sometimes conflicting agendas which were operating.

15th century Grade 1 Listed Godlingston Manor is probably one of the oldest inhabited houses in the country and is located on National Trust land, close to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site. Here we prepared an LVA report for a potentially contentious application to erect a wind turbine very close to the Manor, which would create a more sustainable energy supply to serve what was a very complex building to heat. The report was prepared over a relatively long period to take account of detailed input from the local Conservation and Landscape Officers, and Planning Permission was duly secured.

St. James’s Park in Shaftesbury is one of the town’s most important public open spaces. We worked closely there with the Town Council to develop sensitively located play facilities which would provide the risk and challenge young people wanted but in a way which enhanced the park setting. The new play scheme has been a huge success, partly because we ensured the needs of the local community were considered carefully within the final design.