Our masterplan for an area of Langholm delivers a diverse mix of housing, responding to the needs of a growing and ageing population. The proposals include extra-care housing linked to communal and support facilities, alongside general needs, amenity, and wheelchair-accessible affordable homes in the southern section of the site. Private housing is planned for the northern section, while the redevelopment of a former farmhouse and outbuildings will further contribute to the site’s character. This development will provide 150-175 new homes, including a 35-unit extra-care and sheltered housing facility designed to support elderly residents with varying dementia needs.
Spanning 13.39 hectares, the site lies within the Langholm Hills Regional Scenic Area, approximately 0.5km from the town centre, across the River Esk. Allocated for residential use in the Local Development Plan (LDP), its development required an adopted masterplan before progressing with planning applications.
Working in collaboration with landscape architects RaeburnFarquharBowen (RFB) and engineers Asher Associates, we developed a landscape-led masterplan that integrates the new community with its surroundings. Our approach respects Langholm’s distinctive setting, ensuring a well-connected, welcoming neighbourhood that reflects the area’s natural beauty and character.
The masterplan is shaped by extensive technical assessments, addressing ground conditions, hydrology, flood risk, drainage, contamination, service infrastructure, transport and access, archaeology, heritage, ecology, landscaping, and tree protection. These constraints were turned into design opportunities, informing a framework for sustainable and resilient development.
The Langholm Masterplan was adopted as supplementary guidance by Dumfries & Galloway Council, demonstrating its alignment with the region’s planning vision. Designed to be climate-resilient and biodiversity-rich, it creates a new neighbourhood that fosters community, promotes sustainability, and enhances the wider landscape.
A network of green spaces is central to the masterplan, seamlessly linking the new community with the wider landscape. The proposals include:
