Hartsbourne Residential Scheme, Hertfordshire

We are pleased to be progressing to Stage 4 on the residential scheme at Hartsbourne Golf Club.

Planning was secured last year for a landscape-led development designed to balance density, privacy and long-term quality within the wider grounds.

We recently spoke with Richard Waite at the Architects’ Journal about the wider context behind the project, including the challenges and sensitivities of building within the Green Belt. The scheme was enabled through a strategic land agreement that released previously developed land for housing while securing the long-term future of the golf club. A revised, lower-density approach replaced an earlier proposal, prioritising a more considered, landscape-led response that safeguards openness and improves the overall quality of the site.

The scheme introduces a series of carefully positioned villas and a discreet apartment building, stepping down with the natural topography of the site while maintaining openness across the golf course setting.

The architecture is defined by lateral proportions, deep overhangs and green roofs. Low horizontal forms reduce the perceived mass of the buildings, while green roofs extend the landscape over the structures, softening the boundary between built and natural. Courtyard arrangements, filtered views and considered setbacks ensure each villa feels settled and private, while remaining connected to the broader landscape.

At Stage 4 the focus is on resolving materials, junctions and systems in detail. The design decisions made in earlier stages are now being translated into precise, coordinated technical information, ensuring the architecture is built as intended. Central to that process is close collaboration with the contractor, who is integral at this stage in developing a construction methodology that is both effective and efficient.

Working alongside Jensen Hunt Structural Engineers and WB Sheils, each discipline informs the others, and the technical package is developed as a whole rather than in isolation.

We look forward to continuing this next phase and sharing further updates as the project develops.

View the project on our website:

Hartsbourne Country Club