Greendykes Masterplan

Our client’s ambition for this project was to establish a high-quality neighbourhood that delivers exceptional living standards, set within an outstanding and people-oriented open space framework – meeting Broxburn’s housing needs through a sustainable and forward-looking approach.

We have coordinated a multidisciplinary team of 15 consultants in the design of a housing-led development, anchored by the unique landscape feature of the Broxburn Bing. This new green and inclusive neighbourhood, designed following NPF4 principles, will provide a variety of tenure blind housing types set within an integrated and connected landscaped framework.

The design strategy for the Greendykes Masterplan places green infrastructure at the heart of its vision, delivering a connected, accessible and enriching landscape that brings nature directly to the doorsteps of future residents. The network of multi-functional green corridors throughout the development promotes well-being, encourages play, enhances biodiversity, and integrates food growing community-led areas, offering:

• passive and active greenspace environments and meaningful public space, always overlooked by building frontages;
• a comprehensive, biodiverse and resilient green and blue infrastructure network;
• an integrated and accessible mobility system – including walking, cycling, horse-riding and public transport – where a diffuse network of paths and active travel routes links all principal areas and key open spaces within the development with the surrounding countryside and, more generally, with the Community Woodland and the wider Broxburn community.
• spread play areas (LAP, LEAP, NEAP + a 3ha Neighbourhood Park) and a health and play on the way circuit, where play for everyone, not just children, has been encouraged, with equipment chosen which can be used by any users and ages.
• a community space with potential activities for families to connect with each other in an informal way.

Generally, the masterplan has been structured to efficiently utilise the developable land, balancing the amount and mix of buildings and open spaces to optimise density, in full respect of context, accessibility and form of the development. The dwellings have been arranged into recognisable groupings – character areas – capable of establishing legible identities, through a carefully curated palette of locally relevant materials and colours, strategically distributed along street elevations, highlighting corners and addressing key views.