A new ‘garden village’ in Cornwall is the result of years of hard work, repurposing former clay quarries into a low carbon settlement with community and green living at its heart. Roseanne Field reports on how LHC Design tackled a complex masterplanning challenge.
The town of St Austell in mid-Cornwall has become known for the so-called ‘Cornish Alps’ – the conical pyramids formed by spoil heaps from the area’s 250 years of clay mining.
China clay – otherwise known as kaolin – is used, as its name suggests, to make china and porcelain. Though still mined today, the industry was at its peak in the early 1900s, with many mines and quarries having since shut down.
One such piece of land is located just north of St Austell, near the villages of Penwithick and Carthew. In 2010 the area was earmarked to be developed into what was being termed at the time as an ‘eco-town’ – one of a government-sponsored programme of new towns.
The eco-town concept eventually evolved into the current garden village/garden town scheme, which has seen dozens of sites across England earmarked for development into new communities with the primary purpose of tackling the country’s housing shortage. These developments are hoped to be designed and built with a set of key principles in mind; blending good quality housing with significant amounts of green and landscaped surroundings, aligning with an emphasis on sustainability and enhancing the environment.
The redevelopment of the 550 acre site at St Austell is being overseen by Eco-Bos, a joint venture between global engineering and construction contractor Orascom and industrial mineral producer Imerys, which employs over 1,000 people at open pit mines across the UK.
In 2006, Imerys announced they would be restructuring their china clay operations, resulting in a surplus of 700 hectares of land no longer required for mining. The following year, the Government was to introduce its eco-town initiative, thereby providing an ideal opportunity to repurpose the West Carclaze site.
From the inception of the scheme, Eco-Bos brought LHC Design on board who were involved in “shaping the vision and leading the masterplanning and outline design,” explains LHC Design director, Graham Devine. Due to the project’s significant scale, while LHC Design have undertaken several elements, primarily their involvement has been the delivery of the overall masterplan alongside landscape proposals.
Strategy & approach
The overall goal was to repurpose the brownfield land into a “healthy, low-carbon village where gardens and green corridors shape the experience of place,” says Devine.
The scheme went through years of development following its initially being earmarked in 2007 as a potential ‘eco-town.’ Then in 2009, initial outline government approval was achieved, with a public exhibition of the proposals taking place in 2010.
Having worked on the initial plans under the eco-town scheme, LHC Design remained involved throughout the project’s evolution. “Early government eco-town policy set the context for a pioneering, sustainability-first settlement; our role was to ensure continuity of that intent into delivery,” Devine explains.
The project then went through several years of development. In 2014 public consultations were held, and in 2016 the project was revived under the new garden towns initiative (replacing the eco-town scheme).
Planning was granted in September 2018, with the approved scheme including the demolition, site clearance and associated necessary groundwork. A phased development would then ensue, comprising up to 1,500 homes and a local centre including a primary school, employment floor space, local retail, health and community facilities, and areas of open space, as well as renewable energy provision and energy centres, drainage and associated infrastructure.
The homes range in size from two to five bedrooms and are a mix of open market and affordable, as well as some custom-build provision. These homes include bungalows and apartments, as well as houses. The mix and tenure of the housing was guided by the outline planning consent and design code, as well as Section 106 obligations. Phase-specific schedules dictate the typical affordable unit size.
As part of their work in developing the scheme, LHC Design led a design competition to produce a range of alternative house types that could fit the overall concept. The practice also spent
time researching and investigating construction forms that would be suitable for widescale delivery.
LHC Design helped guide the project through numerous Non-Material Amendment (NMA) applications. “We designed and delivered bespoke house types, incorporating and developing landscape design and construction packages for the first phase of 169 homes to be delivered onsite,” Devine says.
The scale of the scheme meant “careful parcelisation, phasing and infrastructure, supported by the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF),” explains Devine. “LHC’s mixed-use and residential experience informed the design code, street hierarchy and green infrastructure sequencing to keep the long-term build-out legible and resilient,” adds Devine.
A village of gardens
Eco-Bos’ brief given to LHC was for a “village of gardens,” explains Devine. This included low-carbon homes and “walkable neighbourhoods” – offering residents a lifestyle that can be centred around nature and wellbeing. He explains: “The challenge was to knit energy-positive homes, community uses and blue-green infrastructure into a complex, post-industrial landscape, all governed by a design code and multi-phase delivery strategy,” he adds.
The site’s previous use has drastically shaped the land and its characteristics, over the centuries. Similarly, although china clay is no longer mined within the boundaries of the site, several resultant mineral pits and other areas are used for the “disposal of micaceous residues” – a byproduct of china clay extraction – and water extraction from various bodies of water onsite.
LHC Design wanted to make the most of this history within the design, rather than conceal it. “The masterplan embraces this heritage as drivers for landscape character, routes and ecology,” says Devine. He adds: “Cultural diversity within the china clay area is manifested through a unique group of features.” These include mining terraces and platforms, industry haul roads, water bodies, cliffs, mica dams, tips and hills, despoiled/disturbed landscape, dry and wet heathland, wet willow and broadleaf woodlands, mire and wetland, historic field patterns and farmstead remnants, as well as traditional Cornish hedge banks and walls.
West Carclaze shares its vision with other garden villages being developed within ‘clay country,’ explains Devine. The principles include mixed and balanced communities, with housing to suit all including affordable homes, and regenerating employment opportunities including flexible workplaces. The schemes within the masterplan also aim to be “socially holistic” – in harmony with other essential facilities, and viable and sustainable over the long term.
To comply with their garden village status, the developments have to be “environmentally responsible, low energy and low impact,” and prioritise ‘green’ transport including walking, cycling and public transport, as well as including extensive green space to enhance and increase the biodiversity and ecology of the sites. The schemes are also designed to sit harmoniously in their location, “sympathetically integrated” into the landscape – natural and post-industrial – and respectful of their cultural heritage, while, says Devine, “seamlessly connecting with existing communities.”
This is a vision that has remained unchanged since the scheme’s early gestation as an eco-town, Devine explains. “The designation of West Carclaze as a garden village consolidated and strengthened the strategic vision for a forward thinking and exemplar approachto developing new settlements, especially in more rural regions like Cornwall,” adds the architect.
Devine says he believes the garden city principles that underpin garden village designation have raised the profile and awareness of the benefits of green infrastructure, and bolstered its chances of caretaking and management over the long term by local stakeholders. This will help “provide long term community benefits over many generations.”
The principles have resulted in the practice “layering green realms from private plots to parks,” Devine explains. These have been aligned “wherever possible” to south-facing slopes to maximise natural light and integrate roof-mounted PV. “The concept is both placemaking and performance: gardens frame daily life while the landform underpins the energy strategy.”
Certain elements of the masterplan were dictated by the location and history of the site. “The clay country landform drove terracing, drainage and attenuation, and view-led massing,” says Devine. “Heritage assets and ecology shaped the park hierarchy and wetland restoration, so the place reads as Cornish and contemporary.”
There were several potential geotechnical and land contamination hazards due to the previous mining activity, such as pits and quarries, tips containing potential contaminants, underground mining shafts, and other potential contaminants. All hazards were assessed, constraints identified and mitigated by “standard engineering design or by good working practice,” says Devine. Mitigation measures were minimised where possible by designing to respond to geological features rather than alter or remove them.
Ecological investigations also took place across the entire site, the results of which also impacted development proposals. One of the core principles identified as needing to be addressed was biodiversity, within green infrastructure and ecological mitigation strategy frameworks. “Ecological features are to be incorporated into the green infrastructure at macro and micro scales to create habitat networks that interact and blend with the surrounding landscape,” Devine says. The development’s relationship with the local microclimate was also “fundamental,” he continues, “to shape the development and the successful delivery of a low energy and sustainable settlement.”
The drainage design was influenced by and made use of the existing hydrology of the site. “The underlying strata effectively prevents infiltration and any current rainfall is collected and directed over the topography through dispersed over ground flow and informal channels,” explains Devine. This is then collected within lakes on the site.
A Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) was undertaken for the initial outline planning application. It considered existing elements of the landscape – topography, vegetation, boundaries, water bodies, routes structures and more – assessing the effects the proposed scheme would have on the landscape and views.
Continual collaboration
With the project having currently spanned over 15 years, good collaboration and communication has been absolutely essential. Change has been continuous, both in terms of the people working on the scheme who have come and gone, as well as changes in policy, technology and client priorities and objectives. But throughout, “collaboration has remained constant,” Devine asserts. “LHC worked closely with Eco-Bos and partner architects under a robust design code, balancing innovation with deliverability.”
Two of the more major changes seen during the project’s evolution were advances in sustainability standards and smart home technology. This meant the whole approach to the design had to evolve alongside these, “embracing new tools, new thinking and new expectations, while holding true to the original ambition of creating a healthy, landscape-led community,” explains Devine.
All the typical collaboration was also essential to the project’s success and progression over the years. Engineers, ecologists, planning consultants, drainage and highways agents, flood risk analysers, and property agents all collaborated closely with the design team to ensure the masterplan and development itself would be suitable for all stakeholders.
Spatial planning & materials
The overall layout of the development was carefully planned to fulfil the ‘village of gardens’ brief, focusing on the green elements and sustainability features to promote a more eco-friendly way of life for residents. The scheme has two ‘local centres’ that each house shops and cafes and a community hub, which are accessible on foot and using sustainable transport. Overall the project will encompass 500 acres of “healthy and sustainable lakeside community” and 350 acres of “managed country park.” Employment opportunities have been provided via the already-opened Enterprise Space for Advanced Manufacturing (ESAM).
There are two ‘spine’ trails – Blue and Green – that connect the site from east to west and offer approximately 16km of paths leading to lakes, parks and play areas, picnic areas, and viewpoints with a ‘habitat network’ for animals and plants. These will connect to the existing clay trails while also offering access to previously inaccessible areas of the site, and parts will specifically support horse riding and dog walking. Every house has both EV and e-bike charging. As well as the ability to hire e-bikes, there is also a bike club and shared car club.
Plots have been “specifically orientated from a solar perspective,” with gardens, terraces, glazing and roof pitches for PV all carefully considered. “Design consequences were positive,” explains Devine. “Roof pitch geometry, south facing plots, plant space and electrical capacity were set early, so performance is designed in, not retrofitted.”
The scheme will include a 7.5 MW ‘solar park’ of PVs supporting the site with renewable energy. Community gardens and landscaping intertwined with the Blue and Green Spine will include vegetable patches, allotments and orchards to encourage healthier living. The overall layout will also, in the words of Devine, “generate community living through the specific design of boundary treatments.”
Also included in the plan is The Sports Park – a recreational space for exercise, play and relaxing – and The Heritage Park, designed as a space where residents can meet and socialise, and also highlighting the mining heritage of the site and surrounding area. A new primary school and nursery – Sky Primary and Eden Project Nursery – opened on the site in September 2025, constructed offsite utilising MMC and designed as a zero-carbon in operation building. The school “makes full use of the unique setting with enriched outdoor learning,” says Devine.
The homes themselves are being constructed with a low carbon timber frame, and incorporate air source heat pumps and integrated solar PV, with high performance fabric. A number of the houses will also be equipped with battery storage to enhance renewable energy’s effectiveness. “The drivers are clear,” says Devine, “embodied carbon reduction, EPCA outcomes, buildability and operational savings. Homes that give more than they take.”
In October 2025, Eco-Bos secured a partnership with Samsung to equip every home with SmartThings – an integrated smart home system incorporating the heat pumps, smart appliances and Samsung’s heating and hot water solution ClimateHub – allowing residents to optimise their energy use with its AI Energy Mode. “This locks the fabric first and renewables strategy into everyday use,” Devine says.
Current SAP modelling has indicated that each home will benefit from up to £3,498 of savings per year, with any surplus energy exported. Eco-Bos has reported up to 9.28 tonnes of CO2 will be saved per home per year, with a potential £4,000 a year net benefit to owners.
When it came to landscape design, the guiding principle was a “connected green infrastructure matrix,” Devine says. This includes the parks, open spaces, allotments, play areas, lakes, walking routes, sports fields, “ecological mitigation areas,” general planting, and sustainable drainage features such as swales and attenuation ponds.
The scheme incorporates a number of ‘green lanes’ – streets with green verges or hedge banks and no footpath or kerb – traditionally a typical feature of Cornish settlements. “These form a range of functions such as movement corridors, wildlife and ecology links, visual and physical buffers and landmarks to aid legibility,” Devine explains. They reinforce the existing landscape and form links through the development to surrounding landscape, and create attractive green routes through higher density areas.
Hedges and walls also feature as boundary markers throughout the site, providing a tie-in with traditional villages in the region: “Cornish hedges, walls and green lanes stitch together landscapes and settlements,” says Devine. “Boundaries are normally colonised by vegetation, so they sit seamlessly within the landscape.”
Other typical Cornish features include elevated footpaths, a result of the steep hillsides, with buildings and paths on the upper side of streets elevated to provide level access as well as decrease the need for retaining structures. Tackling these often challenging gradients was made into a virtue at Carclaze, helping the scheme blend with the local vernacular: “The landscape and topography of the garden village is varied and steep, which requires careful design of the streets and buildings to create accessible, varied and appropriate environments,” Devine explains.
Consideration was also given to what Devine describes as the “smaller elements in the public realm that add to the physical distinctiveness of Cornwall.” This includes open granite ‘kennels’ (water channels running along streets) that help with storm water drainage, large granite steps, bridges over gullies, benches and large granite kerbs. As well as adding typical Cornish elements to the development, these features – built using local materials – also complement the wider water management strategy via surface water drainage and small water courses.
Construction & reception
Following the years of design development, construction for the first phase of the project began in 2020, completing in 2023 having continued throughout the Covid pandemic. The second phase has since begun – approximately 50% of the homes are complete and some are already sold.
During this second phase, some “alternative construction” methods have been used, explains Devine, “following ongoing research either for programme, cost or material performance benefits.” The phasing is inline with the enabling works, such as Housing Infrastructure Fund supported access and condition discharges tied to the outline consent.
The residents living in homes completed during phase one have given good feedback about life in West Carclaze so far. “They talk about community spirit, quiet sunlit streets and the appeal of lakes and trails,” Devine says. He adds that they are getting used to the properties’ smart systems; it’s a “natural period of adaptation” while they learn how to best use the systems.
Devine says they have made other “constructive points” – such as batteries and export settings – which LHC welcomes and which are being “worked through in operation.” However, the overall consensus – particularly from the sustainability point of view – is satisfyingly positive, Devine says. “Homeowners are embracing the carbon-positive lifestyle and the benefits in cost and comfort that the strategy delivers.”