Hobbs Court, Vardon Road, Oval Regeneration.

Stevenage

The new Hobbs Court is being developed as a replacement for the existing outdated sheltered accommodation of bungalows and flats. Forming part of Stevenage’s broader Oval neighbourhood regeneration, the strategic vision is to see this as an early phase of the wider masterplan in parallel with the construction of new community centre and church.

 

Hobbs Court Jesop Road entrance

 
 

Hobbs Court site plan

 

Hobbs Court will replace 40 bungalows and flats with 91 one- and two-bedroom flats, featuring communal facilities. It is designed to attract older residents in Stevenage who wish to downsize from their rented council houses to quality new homes with the option for communal facilities and activities. The council aims to provide better homes for retirees while freeing up more family homes within the town.

In collaboration with the council’s housing team and Hertfordshire’s Extra Care team, a detailed brief has been developed to initially offer standard independent living. However, provisions have been made for potential future adaptations to support extra care facilities if needed.

The design of the apartment buildings focuses on fostering independent living while promoting a sense of community. This approach ensures that future residents can enjoy privacy and independence, deciding how much or how little they want to engage in communal activities. The decision to design the buildings as two separate halves was intentional. The larger building includes more communal facilities, office spaces, supporting facilities, and the main entrance, making it suitable for potential extra care in the future. The smaller building, with its separate entrances and fewer communal facilities, is designed to appeal to those who wish to move but are not yet ready for a 'retirement' home.

 
 

view along Vardon Road

footpath approach along western edge

 
 

Hobbs Court axonometric

 

The buildings are designed to be read as a cohesive perimeter block, outward facing with animated elevations and addressing the neighbouring routes and pathways. The aim, to enliven the streets and pathways near the neighbourhood centre, reversing some of the back-to-front Radburn layout characteristic of Stevenage.

With a secure private courtyard, the apartments are organised over three, four, and five floors, while the majority of the shared social spaces, office, main reception, and other facilities are located within the single storey element that frames a reworked pedestrian route serving the neighbouring houses. The social spaces, main entrance, and drop-off zone on Jessop Road, aka ‘Green Street', help activate and animate the existing main route serving the wider estate and brings life to a street currently devoid of any activity.

Architecturally, the composition of form and massing is designed to appear as a series of buildings. The articulation of the elevations, changes in materiality, and varied rooflines ensure that the scale and mass are not overbearing, making the building more in keeping with a traditional street elevation. It is important that the building elements are perceived as individual parts within a whole to bring a sense of scale and legibility to both the buildings and the street scene.

 
 

south elevation

 
 
 

ground floor plan

 

typical upper floor

 

fourth floor

 

north elevation

 
 
 
 

Landscape. The landscape proposals by fabrik include a series of diverse and contrasting spaces to serve different resident needs. The main courtyard features a partially covered patio area, accessed directly from the communal lounges, providing an active space for residents, ideal for leisure, gatherings, and social interactions. Ornamental planting and feature trees will provide year-round interest. A linear rain garden will be incorporated to the east of the car park to capture water runoff at the lower point as part of the SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) strategy. The shaded courtyard garden in the southwest corner draws inspiration from Chinese gardens and features shade-tolerant planting, adding aesthetic value and enhancing biodiversity.

To the perimeter of the site, the front gardens with lawns, hedges, swales, and ornamental planting provide an attractive setting for the building and reinforce a biodiverse street scene.

 

plan extract of E1 © fabrik

section CC © fabrik

internal courtyard view 1 © fabrik

internal courtyard view 2 © fabrik

 

Key

  1. Standard benches

  2. Seating stools

  3. Shaded garden

  4. Community footway

  5. Steps and ramp access to the west building

  6. Ornamental and buffer planting to building frontage

  7. Entrance gate

  8. Decking with tables and chairs

  9. Amenity lawn

  10. Feature tree with seating undermeath

  11. Retaining wall with timber bench on top

  12. Rotating beam

  13. Stepping logs

  14. Play boulders

  15. Rotating top play under existing tree

  16. Step access to the east building

  17. Ramp access to the east building

plan extract of E2 © fabrik

section AA © fabrik

section BB © fabrik

 


Summary

 

Description: 91 independent retirement living apartments with ancillary facilities.

Client: Stevenage Borough Council

Site area: 8,000 SqM

Status: Stage 3 - Planning

Property Consultants: Beacon Partnerships

Planning Consultant: Smith Jenkins

Structural Eng.: Gravity Consulting Engineers

Civil Eng.: Stomor Civil Engineering

Transport: Stomor Civil Engineering

MEP Eng.: Whitecode Consulting

Landscape Arch.: fabrik

Ecologist: Ecology By Design

RT Team: Dan Bangs, Sarah Keetch, Jacqueline Lam, Leonard Jones, George Dinu, Andrada Luca, Rachel Opie, Molly McAllister.