Rural Regeneration
Shapwicks Future
The village of Shapwick in Dorset is a picturesque village that has long relationship to the National Trust estate of Kingston Lacy. Surrounded by the AONB, connected to the river Stour Shapwick is a beautiful rural village where we are co-shaping its future with local residents and the Trust.
The Brief
Working within a complex rural site that includes archaeology, drainage constraints heritage assets, natural springs, the brief is to find the appropriate pattern and amount of development that works with the village and enables the trust to generate revenue to fund conservation activities on the wider Estate.
Landstory and The Village Makers have been commissioned to support the client team to build on their engagement work with the village to explore potential development in the village in a way that mitigates risks and overcomes the challenges of the site.
Our Approach
We ran an integrated design team approach that brought consultants together to build on the years of engagement that the Trust have carried out. We gather to explore and navigate the core perceived risks to the development and the potential of what appropriate and sensitive development could achieve.
The Challenges
The challenges to the project relate to the area’s unique heritage and history with many archaeological sites being prevalent. Flooding and a dated sewage system also presents challenges to the viability of the project.
The Outcome
Our work is ongoing and we look forward to continue to work with the Trust and the community of Shapwick to explore its future that is one of vitality and health.