Brooklands College

A unique opportunity to blend history, education and modern living seamlessly

Services: Landscape Architecture

Location: Weybridge, Surrey

Date: 2022-2023

Client: CALA Homes (Thames) Ltd

Deliverables: Landscape Design, LVIA, Green Belt Appraisal

Define provided Landscape Design, LVIA and Green Belt Appraisal services to support a detailed planning application for Cala Homes and Brooklands College in Weybridge, Surrey.

The scheme, which was granted permission in April 2024, will now see much needed financial investments put into the College and deliver 320 new homes on areas of the site that are underutilised and of poor quality.  The development will provide a range of community benefits including a new sports centre, a community hub, a large parkland play area and public access to 12 hectares of once privately inaccessible woodland.

The Illustrative Landscape Masterplan shows the extent of surrounding woodlands, college and residential proposals nestled in a site that is Green Belt albeit previously used for landfill and surface car parking.

Our landscape masterplan creates a harmonious coexistence between the listed building (which was once the home of Dame Ethel Locke King), the college buildings and the modern design of the housing development.  We utilised current best practice to design a contemporary landscape that will enhance the biodiversity of the site, improve the existing surface drainage through the use of rain gardens and respond to the climate emergency through the specification of drought tolerant species and a wide range of native and non native tree specimens.

Careful consideration was given to preserve the character and integrity of the mansion’s terraced garden, which in many areas has become overrun with poor quality surface parking and incongruous vegetation.  The old brick balustrades will be restored whilst through the study of historic photographs, the planting will be reimagined in the original arts and crafts style, returning the curtilage of the mansion house back to its former, rather splendid, state.

Over time, the terraced garden has been used for an ammunition factory during WWII and then sadly converted to a surface car park.

Over time, the terraced garden has been used for an ammunition factory during WWII and then sadly converted to a surface car park.

Remnants of the old brick wall reflect the Arts and Craft history of the site, in what would have been a garden in the style of the great Gertrude Jekyll

Remnants of the old brick wall reflect the Arts and Craft history of the site, in what would have been a garden in the style of the great Gertrude Jekyll

Brooklands House and the terraced gardens will be restored to their former glory. The lower terrace will form part of the new public parkland proposals so the public will be able to walk around the site and enjoy views of the old building. The middle

Brooklands House and the terraced gardens will be restored to their former glory. The lower terrace will form part of the new public parkland proposals so the public will be able to walk around the site and enjoy views of the old building. The middle and upper terrace will be returned to arts and crafts style gardens and be used by the residents of the manor house. CGI Image courtesy of Cala Homes Ltd.

The new site entrance to the college prioritises pedestrian movement over vehicular and will be characterised by heathland style planting which harmonises with the existing landscape palette surrounding the site. CGI Image courtesy of Cala Homes Ltd.

The new site entrance to the college prioritises pedestrian movement over vehicular and will be characterised by heathland style planting which harmonises with the existing landscape palette surrounding the site. CGI Image courtesy of Cala Homes Ltd.

Green spaces and footpaths have been proposed that will intertwine the site, improving connections to the centre of Weybridge, Heathside School and surrounding residential areas.  The proposals seek to conserve the large existing woodlands which will be designated as a publicly accessible SANG, protecting them for the surrounding communities to use.

Housing will stand where a desolate landfill site once stood, overlooking the preserved parkland landscape. CGI Image courtesy of Cala Homes Ltd.

Housing will stand where a desolate landfill site once stood, overlooking the preserved parkland landscape. CGI Image courtesy of Cala Homes Ltd.

During the engagement process we were delighted to lead tours with Cala and the College team. People were very interested to see the historic woodland and the old mansion house gardens and we were able to learn new facts about the Locke King family a

During the engagement process we were delighted to lead tours with Cala and the College team. People were very interested to see the historic woodland and the old mansion house gardens and we were able to learn new facts about the Locke King family and local anecdotes about how people once used the woodlands.

The housing proposals used a dutch inspired ‘Woonerf’ design where by traditional pavements and verges where replaced with shared surface paving and rain gardens. This creates a human scale to the street, helps hide cars and provides opportunities f

The housing proposals used a dutch inspired ‘Woonerf’ design where by traditional pavements and verges where replaced with shared surface paving and rain gardens. This creates a human scale to the street, helps hide cars and provides opportunities for more street trees.

During the process we were delighted to give tours of the historic woodland and the old mansion house gardens to the local community and other interested stakeholders such as Natural England and The Weybridge Civic Society, often learning new facts about the Locke King family, or just local anecdotes about how people once used the woodlands.

The result will be a thoughtfully crafted development that celebrates the rich history of the site while offering a modern and inviting environment for the new community.

Project Update

24th May 2024 Brooklands College receives planning permission

The park was opened to the public in 2022 and was given the name to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of the same year. The first event to be held in the park was the Fusion Arts Festival, organised by Cohesion Plus and Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. Seeing our design built and used by the local community was a huge achievement and made all the hard work worth while. The application included a total of 320 new homes and the refurbishment of the listed Brooklands Mansion into apartments.  The application also included the consolidation and refurbishment of their campus to provide state-of-the-art facilities.

Project Team