Barskimming Road Mauchline

Barskimming Road is located in the southwest of Mauchline, East Ayrshire. The site was previously occupied by Corrie Mains Farm, which contained a number of agricultural sheds together with the farmhouse itself.

We provided full architectural and principal designer services from RIBA stages 0-6 to deliver a scheme of 30 dwellings comprising a mixture of cottage flats, two-storey general needs houses and bungalows for wheelchair and older/ ambulant occupants. The project provided essential infrastructure to meet local housing needs, whilst sustainably developing this brownfield site.

The design is a contemporary interpretation of the existing vernacular with house styles that complement the local housing stock in terms of massing, proportions, and fenestration. A refined material palette of red brick, modern Cedral cladding, precast/render window panel surrounds, and dark window frames echo the site context and take their visual cues from the surrounding materials.

The welfare of pedestrians has been carefully considered and vehicle traffic speeds managed by adopting deflections in the road geometry. In this way the speeds are reduced to levels appropriate to the context and by avoiding the introduction of speed tables.

A key requirement was to ensure residents felt safe and welcome. Passive surveillance was carefully considered throughout the development which obtained Secured by Design Accreditation to Gold standard.

Our proposals create connections through the site linking the new homes with Mauchline town centre, whilst facilitating future linkage to the north and east.

The result is a design which is distinctive, safe, pleasant, adaptable, and responsive to the site-specific requirements. The layout creates a sense of place by creating a locally distinct area of high visual quality, with the potential to encourage social interaction.

I am delighted to say that my own experiences of working directly with Robert Potter & Partners on a recently completed 30-unit development in Mauchline has only confirmed the following:

• They have been a pleasure to work with as leaders of the Design Team taking a tricky project from inception to completion.
• During this period, they have demonstrated their capacity to deliver homes that maximise design quality and innovation within the constraints of affordable housing funding.
• They have continually impressed during the course of the build contract and their commitment has ultimately led to the successful delivery of quality new homes to the satisfaction of the Association and our residents.

Laurence McCluskey, Development Manager, Cunninghame Housing Association