Reserved Matters application for Bovis Homes, following outline approval, for 222no. 2, 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings and 100 bedroom hotel, with associated infrastructure and open space, in the Victorian seaside town of Seaton in Devon.

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The site is a former holiday camp site situated off Harbour Road and lies within the built up area boundary of Seaton designated as part of a wider regeneration area. The original outline approval covers 15.8 hectares and allowed for the construction of a retail store (Tesco), petrol filling station, assorted car parking, tourism (Visitors Centre) these occupy the western area with new housing, hotel and public space to the east. Initial works on the site saw thousands of tons of sand imported by boat in order to raise levels to overcome flood issues and allow construction works on the site.

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Northern and western boundaries of the application site coincide with the route of the Seaton Tramway with the Ax Wetlands area lying further to the north; existing employment land and the River Ax estuary are situated to the east. Proposals were designed to enhance the character and local distinctiveness of the surrounding natural and built environment and required the submission and approval of a set of Design Codes to establish the correct design principles and parameters to successfully integrate proposals into its surroundings. To respond to the changing context of the site from urban to natural, four distinct character areas were identified within the Design Code. Zones included Urban Frontage and Square, Central Core, Transitional and Marshland Edge. Individual building types and styles were designed with different material palettes within each area, ranging from contemporary clad terraced townhouses and apartment block in the Urban Frontage zone to traditional rural style larger detached houses in stone and brick in the Marshland Edge. Design characteristics set each character area apart from the other to create a distinctive, high quality development that both enhances and reflects the existing character of Seaton. Proposals provide both an interesting and attractive place to live as well as respond well to the surrounding land uses.

 

As a hotel operator had not been confirmed at the time of the Reserved Matters, CDS also designed and submitted for approval a contemporary style, 3 storey 100 bed hotel, with 80 car parking spaces, on land to the south of the residential area. Premium Inn has since developed the hotel site which has been amended to their corporate build style.

 

Following the Reserved Matters approval we were also instructed by Bovis to re-design the southern section of the site adjoining the hotel land to provide an additional 8no. dwellings due to more detailed design of the hotel providing surplus land.