Developers to create wildlife routes as 1,000 homes to be built on greenfield site

MORE than 1,000 new homes are to be created on a greenfield site in one of the most innovative developments seen in Scotland for many years.

A radical new approach, some 25 years in the making, will be put into practice, bringing urban life to green spaces at Maidenhill, close to Newton Mearns, with the aim of integrating the two and enhancing both the landscape and quality of life of the community.

Some 450 new homes will be created by 2025, and another 620 will follow, with 25 per cent classed “affordable” and spread throughout the site. Over time, the area will be served by community facilities such as schools and places of worship, shops and recreational open space.

At the heart of the plans is the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership’s Integrating Green Infrastructure (IGI) approach, endorsed by planners, developers, engineers and architects. This ensures all environmental impacts have been considered from the start of the design process. This philosophy will continue until the final brick is laid. Developers are being encouraged to understand that building wild life networks and walking routes around long-standing green features might produce significant rewards. They can also expect to sell houses at a good price and more quickly due to the enhanced environment.

Permeable paving and verges will allow rainwater to drain directly into three ponds around the site benefiting wildlife and reducing flooding risk. By adopting naturalised sustainable urban drainage systems (Suds) to manage water flows, developers can also potentially lower their infrastructure costs.

Key green features will remain: woodland, hedging, burns and streams supported by the landscaped suds ponds.

Multiple developers are working together to create a joined up Green Network across and beyond the site, with the focus on a walkable, natural environment linking residents to all key facilities.

A need for local housing demand led to East Renfrewshire Council selecting Maiden hill as a potential development site. Principal development officer Anne McAleer said the council not only recognised that need but also wanted to seize the opportunity to do something new.

She said: “A prime consideration was how we would link in with the Green Network to the benefit of both new and existing residents of Newton Mearns.

“We wanted to provide mixed housing in a high-quality, desirable area, making it accessible to singles, couples and young families, without spoiling the environment.

“So we worked with the GCV Green Network Partnership to look at how we could encourage developers to put Green Infrastructure at the heart of the development process.”

Karen Anderson, consultant partner of Anderson Bell and Christie, who designed the masterplan, said: “Some of the site was lovely farmland, so it has to be changed sensitively.”

The development will start around the end of next year.