Hill Rise scoops design award as work begins on innovative low-carbon community

As work begins on site near Woodstock, Blenheim Estate Homes’ innovative community Hill Rise has already picked up a prestigious design award for its architects, Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE).

The community, by Blenheim Estate Homes, will be built by their build partner, Pye Homes and has been named as one of the big winners in the 2024 Housing Design Awards.

Hill Rise is an innovative low-carbon development, where Blenheim Estate Homes has full planning permission to build 48 homes, 57 sqm of community space and a parking barn. The Oxfordshire housebuilder is also preparing a Reserved Matters Application for the outline permission of up to 132 homes.

Key features at Hill Rise include:

Prioritising pedestrian infrastructure over vehicular
Shared parking barns to provide convenient, secure, and covered parking – taking them out of private gardens and driveways
A shared ‘green living room’ which provides a new community meeting point including suds, and places to play, sit and relax
Walking/cycling routes, incorporating existing public rights of way which run from Hill Rise to the town centre
50% affordable housing

Roger File, Managing Director of Real Estate at Blenheim Estate Homes said: “Hill Rise sets new standards for low-carbon housing, and we are rightly proud of the scheme to have already won an award before even a single home has been built.”

PTE partner and project masterplanner Alexis Butterfield said: “We had a refreshingly unusual brief; to imagine a different relationship with private cars. The resulting dramatic change from car-shaped roads to landscaped, sociable streets hints at what we could deliver nationwide if this cultural shift could be embraced more widely.”

He added: “The benefits of reduced road infrastructure are, put simply, more green space. Having easy access to quality green spaces is a key part of a healthier lifestyle. More green spaces contribute to improved mental and physical health, air quality and temperature control, as well as providing vital habitat for nature.”

In addition to Blenheim Estate Homes’ Hill Rise, build partner Pye Homes is also continuing to develop its greener community, Church Farm, in Radley, with homes for sale now, as well as a final spacious and family friendly home at Temple Gate in Marcham. Both locations offer a lifestyle centred around commitment to quality, heritage, community, and sustainable living that defines Pye Homes.

To enquire about Hill Rise, contact the Blenheim Estate Homes team at Hillrise@pyehomes.co.uk