Overview
North East of Letchworth, Madden Gardens embraces Garden City principles, with planning secured through close collaboration with Letchworth Heritage Foundation and the Local Planning Authority.
Located to the North East of Letchworth, Madden Gardens transforms a previously poor quality area into an award-winning neighbourhood that captures garden city principles.
The 159-unit scheme was approved following a highly collaborative approach to consultation and design. Both the Local Planning Authority and the Letchworth Heritage Foundation had residential design guides, favouring a traditional vernacular and reflecting existing garden city principles. Working to understand and incorporate these needs was key to securing planning approval.
Two different directions were explored at early design team meetings with the Letchworth Heritage Foundation and, as the design progressed, the most successful aspects of formal and organic approaches were morphed into one unified approach.
To capture the garden city ethos, Madden Gardens is designed, with a central focus on the relationship between the natural environment and the built form.
Avenues of trees and shrub planting define pedestrian routes through the development, whilst footpaths are surfaced with gravel to complement the landscaping, and public open space forms a crescent at the heart of the development.
Madden Gardens has been recognised as Outstanding in the government accredited Building for Life awards.
