Farmstead-style community for Macclesfield

If approved by local planners, the Flora Garden Centre at Henbury, will be transformed into what the developers describe as “a new model for sustainable community living.”

The design team drew inspiration from Henbury’s agricultural past, with the layout of the new homes and commercial ‘barn’ building shaped around the concept of a farmstead within the 2.5 acre site.

The 14 new homes – a mix of one, three, four and five bedroom properties – will sit alongside a flexible workspace including co-working areas – named FarmFolk.

FarmFolk will also include a food hall, providing stalls for local, independent vendors, along with community dining – a feature particularly welcomed by residents at December’s public consultation.

The proposals also include amenities to encourage self-sufficiency with the aim of being carbon neutral by 2038. These include the on-site edible kitchen gardens and an orchard, providing seasonal fruit for use by residents and the food hall. 

The landscaping scheme, a central feature, will enable on-site food production, wild flower meadows, a village green, tree planting and rainwater swales to enhance the ecology of the site and improve local bio-diversity.

Jamie Hall, Projects Director at Hall & Co, said: “Flora Henbury is a completely new concept in sustainable living, with home, workspace and community space co-existing within a tranquil countryside setting.

“It offers a very desirable, unique way of living and working that we know is particularly appealing to the younger generations who are keen to live in closer harmony with nature and are very conscious of their individual impact on the environment.”

The development has been designed by Ollier Smurthwaite Architects. Matt Ollier, said: “Sustained periods of lockdown have made homeowners acutely aware of what they want from a new home. This site offers an opportunity to put a lot of fresh thinking into place. Generous communal gardens with shared food growing, orchards, wild flower meadows and a community green, combined with a new local shop, café and flexible workspace, will provide opportunities for a better work/life balance.”

Find out more about Flora Henbury at https://hallcoproperty.co.uk/portfolio/curtisfarm/