LINGFIELD POINT
inadvertently, the blueprint for Lingfield Point. Like the originalwool factory
site, Lingfield Pointwill ultimately encompass business, home and leisure to realiseMarchday’s 21st century vision of the good life. Facilitieswill include 12,000 homes, sports and leisure venues, a school, a healthcare centre, a children’s nursery, a café/bistro, picnic areas and open green spaces, allotments and public art installations. We spoke toMarchday’s
Director, John Orchard, about the development. “The big thing for us is the regeneration story,” said John. “Shortly after buying the site, it became clear that there was a shared-ownership - every person in the area had had some kind of contact with the site at one time or another and we didn't want to lose that special connection. It had become a sad story - the disintegration of a much-valued part of the Darlington community.We wanted to turn that around and give local people something positive - the next chapter in the site's history.”
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX The site features state-of-the-art green technology including a fleet of Segways – zero-emission, electronic personal vehicles – for
the estate management and security team to travel around the site on. John says that the unconventional mode of transport has been a great success with staff and members of the community. The site will also employ a
wind turbine and a combined heat and power system(CHP). A supply of sustainable food will be readily available - space has been set aside for allotments, known as the Gro Zone, to promote the growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers for the residents of Lingfield Point, and the wider Darlington community.
LIVING AT LINGFIELD All newhomes at Lingfield Point will be lowenergy and built to level four and six of the Code of Sustainable Homes. To achieve level four of the Code, a householdmust be 25 per cent over the target emission rate and use amaximumof 105 litres of water per person per day; to achieve a level six a household must have net zero CO2 emissions, and use amaximumof 80 litres ofwater per person per day. Thiswill be achieved by employing solar technology as well as greywater recycling. As highlighted in the Elm
TreeMews example, maintaining initial levels of sustainability is not a guarantee
The ‘eco’ element of the development runs
throughout, utilising green seating and interior plants
Lingfield’s commercial premises holdmany communal areas to enable interaction and, hopefully, a community-like environment between co-workers
once the project is completed. Some industry experts have suggested that residents need to be educated on green practices so that they can maintain the levels. However, John believes that lecturing residents on green practices is not a realistic solution. Instead, he believes, the key is to lead by example. “Often the perception is that
you have to live drastically differently to live sustainably, but when people see green technologies – and their direct advantages – in operation in their day-to-day lives, they see that this isn’t the case.What we try to do is encourage a feeling of community, and by having that feeling you foster shared values.” For the project’s housing
element,Marchday have appointed housebuilder Taylor Wimpey. The scheme that attractedMarchday to forming the partnershipwas Taylor Wimpey’s forward-thinking Staithes Gateshead
project.Mr. Orchard saysMarchdaywas attracted to the significance given to community areas, affording residents opportunities tomeet in incidentalways and forman authentic community. Therefore, TaylorWimpey have been commissioned to develop 270 homes in the first phase of the housing development as part of the projected £100million master-plan ambition.
14 | British Builder & Developer |
BritishBuilder.co.uk
PREPARATION IS KEY When asked aboutMarchday’s inspiration behind Lingfield Point, John references the developer’s inspirational trip toMalmo, Sweden – a city celebrated for its progressive approach to sustainability. He says the team were attracted to the city’s open- mindedness and unwavering commitment to sustainable, community-based living. “What struckmewas the
difference inmentality - the fact is that they have embraced new technologies and they have actually donewhat the UK has been talking about doing for a long time. They build for the future.” Some people are likely to view
Lingfield Point as a romantic or unrealistic vision, with the same potential pitfalls of other community-oriented visions such as Sheffield's infamous Park Hill flats. However, John believes that the project has come a significant way to disproving its critics, and he challenges naysayers to visit the site before they write it off. “It’s a smaller step from where
we are now to completion than the challenge we faced at the outset of the project. I believe we’ve put our money where our mouth is and delivered the sustainable, community-driven community that we set out to do and we are very pleased with
what we’ve achieved.”
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