Residential Development - Porthleven

CSA was employed by a private landowner to design a development for him on a substantial landholding surrounding the fishing village of Porthleven, on the south Cornish Coast. Historically, this landowner had worked with developers and given them control of their sites, and each time was disappointed with the end product. This time, he seized the opportunity to have more control over the outcome, and engaged CSA to design a scheme featuring quality housing, as a legacy, and model for future development.

Our brief was to create a development with a mixture of affordable and open-market housing, in a sensitive landscape setting (AONB), with a density and appearance relevant to the location. The development would also form the new southern gateway into the village and it was therefore vital to the success of the scheme that an appropriate development was delivered through a ‘design led’ approach, with community involvement throughout the process.

The scheme provides 60 new homes (half open-market) and is designed to have three principle focal points: a green public open space, a formal ‘square’ and a ‘village green’, each with a distinct identity and sense of place, that draw the visitor through the development. All of the houses share a palette of materials, including local natural stone walling and natural slate roofs, drawn from the historical vernacular of the village, rather than the modern developments nearby. One of the key aspects of the scheme design was the inclusion of modern “Almshouses” forming the edge of the development. This was recognised by the local planning authority and the scheme secured planning permission by committee, in 2012.

These affordable homes have been constructed by Coastline Housing, with the scheme shortlisted for the Michelmores Awards 2016 for Residential Projects for 41 Units and Over.