Cottingwood

We were appointed to support the masterplan and undertake the preliminary and detailed design of the early highways and drainage infrastructure for Cottingwood, Northumberland.

Commissioned by Gleeds and Homes England, we secured reserved matters permission in January 2022 with the revised masterplan scheme from Ryder. The scheme aims to facilitate the development of 875 local homes and village centre.

The scheme brings forward a high-quality development with a central spine road and key SuDS elements complementing the public open space. The road connects to Morpeth Northern Bypass in the north and Morpeth town centre to the south.

A key driver for the highways authority was to avoid a direct vehicular route to the town, which would detract from the purpose of the bypass, constructed in 2015. This was addressed through implementing a bus-gate nothrough section at the south of the scheme.

Protecting and encouraging local wildlife is key for the client so Cundall designed a duck pond with a permanent water body to encourage local wildlife and created a mammal tunnel crossing of the highway underneath the northern embankment.

The network of greenways and green spaces create wildlife corridors and a series of safe, off road pedestrian and cycle routes with integrated play and fitness opportunities.