Award-winning housebuilder City & Country has announced its intention to develop new homes on a well-connected site to the south of Stansted, Essex, following the acquisition of 177 acres of land in 2024. The company has appointed renowned architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios) to lead on the design.

Following pre-application advice from the Planning Inspectorate, parts of the well- connected grey belt site were identified as having the potential for the creation of between 400-500 homes, as well as zones for expansion of the primary and secondary schools that are adjacent to the site. The wider site will offer an opportunity for landscape and biodiversity enhancements and improved connections for cyclists and pedestrians to the nearby facilities and railway station.

City & Country chose to work with Stirling Prize-winning FCBStudios due to their track record in housing design and their ability to produce something that responds sensitively to its surroundings. Stansted, and the surrounding towns and villages, have a rich palette of local materials and building forms, with beautiful towns like Saffron Walden, and villages like Thaxted and Finchingfield providing inspiration. We would also like the designs to take inspiration from local art, including artist Edward Bawden, who documented the area prior to the housing boom of the 1960s and beyond.

Simon Vernon-Harcourt, Design & Planning Director for City & Country, comments:

“Having been brought up in this part of Essex and still living in Uttlesford, we wanted to employ an architect who really understands its magic and can create a scheme with warmth that reflects the culture, street patterns and materials of the area.

We also want to enhance the landscape by putting back lost woodland and field boundaries and improving transport links to really encourage cycling and walking to the local school and facilities. The rich rural landscape, and how buildings sit within it, need to work in harmony. We are confident that our partnership with FCBStudios can deliver on this challenge in a highly creative way.”

Marcus Rothie, Partner, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, adds:

“This is a rare opportunity to shape a new neighbourhood that is deeply rooted in its landscape and local identity. At a time of increasing pressure to deliver more housing, our focus is on ensuring a quality-led response, one that balances the urgent need for new homes with a commitment to design excellence, sustainability, and a strong sense of place. Drawing from the unique character of Stansted and the wider region – its materials, patterns, and cultural history,  we aim to create a community that is both forward-looking and authentically of Essex.”

City & Country intends to carry out further public consultation and submit a planning application in the early Autumn. City & Country is a market-leading new build and heritage conversion developer, headquartered in Stansted Mountfitchet. It is currently building new homes across Essex and the South East, most notably at Manningtree Park in Manningtree and Sanderling Reach in West Mersea. Further afield, City & Country’s most recent projects include the redevelopment of the Pitman Press site in Bath, and the conversion of a former Victorian hospital at The 1840 in Tooting.

For further information about City & Country, please visit
https://www.cityandcountry.co.uk.