Yew Tree, Widnes - New Housing Development

The Yew Tree and Ditton Direct sites are two developments opposite each other on Coronation Drive consisting of 19 no. Houses and 12 no. flats for affordable rent. The dwellings have been developed on a vacant sites which formerly housed a Public House and a Council Building.

The sites, which are surrounded by existing residential and commercial properties, are developed to provide much needed accommodation in the area. The design provides modern houses that fit into the surrounding context, by using a similar building scale and mimicking the surrounding palette while incorporating a modern contrasting brick and render finish.

The proposed layout integrates into the existing street scene, fitting in comfortably with the surrounding properties and provides in-curtilage parking spaces and cycle storage within the rear private space.

The dwellings, which comprise of two storey houses and three storey flats, are designed to achieve Secured by Design and some criteria of Lifetime Homes. Originally designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 using a fabric first approach and Housing Quality Indicators, these requirements where later removed from the design brief.

Landscaping within the site includes new trees and shrubs selected from predominantly native species as well as retaining some existing trees to provide an established and settled feel to the sites. The external landscaping and planting enhances the streetscape and provides attractive private garden areas.