Nicholas King Homes | Pearces Farm Site
Nicholas King Homes will deliver an attractive neighbourhood on the land to the east of Easthampstead Road also known as Pearces Farm.
This scheme is envisioned to promote sustainable and healthy living for it’s residents while fostering strong connections for the community and beyond.
The scheme will deliver circa 180 homes with associated private and community space, including a network of multifunctional open spaces, green corridors and play areas. Homes will be built to a high quality, be energy efficient and provide a choice of sizes and tenures.
Site Considerations
The site covers approximately 7.4 hectares and is used for agricultural and equestrian purposes. There are trees and hedges along the perimeters and in the central area.
There are no major constraints to development, however, key issues to consider include:
- Pearces Farm, a farm complex with three Grade II Listed Buildings, located to the west.
- The Garden House a Grade II Listed Building located to the south of Easthampstead Road.
- Footpath WOKW5 Running along the northern edge.
- Byway 30 open to all traffic along Holme Green Lane to the south-east.
- Several public paths (PRoWs) located near the site.
- Gently topography from northeast towards south and northwest.
- Existing trees and vegetation located around the edges of the site with some further hedges and trees cutting across the site around the existing farm.
Pearces Farm Setting
Pearce’s Farm, with its three Grade II Listed Buildings – Pearce’s Farmhouse, the Barn, and the Granary – stands as a testament to the region’s heritage. As plans for a new development emerge, our approach focuses on seamlessly integrating the farm complex while protecting its setting and enhancing its surroundings.
The following principles have guided our approach in responding to the heritage asset and delivering a sensitive relationship through the proposed development.
Design Approach | The masterplan key design principles focus on:
Promoting Health & Well-being with:
- A robust network of open spaces that retains and enhances existing natural features and provides opportunities for recreation.
- A network of safe and attractive play areas, including a Local Equipment Area for Play (LEAP) and a Local Area of Play (LAP)
- SuDS features as an integral part of open spaces
Context responsive with:
- A wide range of homes (up to 180 dwellings) including affordable homes to respond to local needs.
- A high quality place with a distinct character that positively responds to its surroundings, with a particular emphasis on integrating positively with the existing Pearces Farm complex.
- A central green open space with planting to provide screening and a buffer around Pearces Farm complex.
- A development with a higher density along the main street to create a well defined street and lower density edges that provide transition and natural surveillance to green space areas.
Promoting walking & cycling with:
- New and enhanced cycle and pedestrian links along the main route and the periphery, connecting with existing paths and the wider network and routes of the emerging proposals for South Wokingham SDL to the north and with Priors Farm to the east.
- A new bus route, with the ultimate goal of making public and active travel the preferred modes of transportation.
Access & Movement
The Movement and Street Hierarchy Plan contains key leisure, walking and cycling routes free from vehicular traffic. These routes link with the existing network of routes and the links proposed by the rest of the SDL sites. These routes have been designed to compliment the street character to create a scenic journey through varying streetscapes. For instance, the main street will have shared pedestrian and cyclists routes located on both sides of the street to avoid the carriageway whilst a more recreational route will be designed through green corridors and edge streets to connect to existing pedestrian paths.
These routes will traverse streets of varying character and incidental green spaces to add quality to this journey. The street network is designed to establish a clear hierarchy, ensuring each street has its own distinctive character. EV charging points will be provided for parking and an all-electric strategy that incorporates Air Source Heat Pumps and Solar PV design will form an integral part of creating a more sustainable and energy efficient scheme design.
Street Typologies
