Delivering in line with garden community principles

Highsted Park will be designed and delivered to attract residents and businesses who value innovation, community cohesion, a high-quality environment, and who will be keen to take an active role in ensuring its continued success. Residents will live in high quality, innovatively designed contemporary homes, accommodating a variety of needs and aspirations. These will be set within a network of leafy streets and green spaces incorporating and enhancing existing landscape features, and providing areas for leisure and recreation.

The proposals for Highsted Park seek to set out a vision for what garden communities could and should seek to achieve:

  • Green infrastructure – the creation of a multifunctional and integrated natural environment, providing space for nature, promoting healthy lifestyles and creating beautiful places to live and work, while being more resilient to climate change.
  • Integrated and sustainable transport – walking, cycling, and public transport will be put at the heart of the development, creating a community that is less reliant on cars.
  • Employment opportunities – ensuring access to jobs within or close to Highsted Park will be key in creating a sustainable community.
  • Living environment – a diverse range of homes responding to the existing and future needs of Swale will be provided alongside community services including healthcare, education and leisure.
  • Smart and sustainable living – the development will embrace innovation and technology to achieve resource efficiency, a higher quality of living, and healthier lifestyles.
  • Good design – the garden community will benefit from the highest quality design, and attentive management of the built and public realm.
  • Community engagement – Highsted Park will be shaped through engaging with existing communities and residents will be empowered in influencing the future of the new garden community.
  • Health and wellbeing principles – the project seeks to embed and encourage healthier behaviours by design.
  • Improved design through innovation – using innovation and rapidly advancing technologies to meet the future needs of residents.