Springfield, Maidstone, Kent
The challenge
To sympathetically regenerate the site, respecting the views from the new Millennium Park across the river.
The site was the grounds of a listed mansion house, consisting of 300,000 sq. ft of space on nine and a half acres. Several office buildings had been built on the site, between 1905 and 1970, and formed the headquarters for Kent County Council.
The mansion house grounds contained many protected trees.
The buildings contained asbestos and there was oil contamination in part of the grounds.
The solution
The master planning involved a high level of negotiation with the utility companies, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council, Local Authorities and The Rivers Authority, as well as substantial discussions with residential and commercial owners of adjacent property.
Cuckfield Group designed a mixed-use scheme, including:
- demolition of 90% of the existing buildings, including safe removal of the contaminated materials, and replacement with four new office buildings totalling 200,000 sq ft.
- 110 private apartments
- 38 affordable apartments
- retention of the listed mansion house
- arboricultural landscaping