Landscape design for housing developments: Alverton Estate

Zaidée Penhaligon

Published: 29/05/20

I’ve recently been working on the landscape design for a new housing development, and as much as I love the freedom that comes with designing a beautiful garden, there’s something about having the opportunity to create a landscape enjoyed by potentially thousands of residents that brings more satisfaction.

I like to visit housing developments for design inspiration, and as I live adjacent to the Alverton Estate in Penzance it often comes to mind while I’m working. Opened in 1953, I believe it demonstrates good design with longevity, social responsibility and desirability.

Sign commemorating opening of Alverton Estate, Penzance 19531

In the 1950s housebuilding exceeded 300,000 homes per year, up to half of these council houses, which is incredible given that in 2019 only 161,022 were built despite the government’s target of 300,000 new homes a year by 2025.2 Admittedly, some of the new builds in the 1950s turned out to be poorly constructed or unattractive, such as the tower blocks that blight landscapes to this day, but most are bright, modern and comfortable.

The houses in the Alverton Estate are handsome and traditional, and were built to accommodate different family sizes. Many of the streets are cul-de-sacs, reducing traffic through the estate and allowing children to play in the street together.

Attractive new homes on Toltuff Road, Penzance3

Multiple studies have shown that areas with more accessible green space are associated with better mental and physical health, so prioritising landscape over housing density has clear economic and social benefits. The Alverton homes are set in wide grassy lawns with enough space for mature trees, which provide temperature regulation, reduce anxiety, create valuable habitat for wildlife, and have even been shown to reduce crime.4 Many of the homes have a view of the sea which is within 15 minutes walk, and the estate is bordered by the countryside (although the A30 Penzance bypass built in the 1990s makes access more difficult).

Generous green space, mature trees and new tree planting.5

The estate is within walking distance of Penzance and Newlyn, and also has a regular bus service that runs through the estate. A new primary school was built as part of the development, and it is this sort of community service which makes a scheme a net advantage to the local area rather than a drain on resources.

Originally this was a social housing estate, now the majority of the houses are privately owned. Homes and gardens have been personalised by the owners so now the neighbourhood is less uniform and aesthetically pleasing. The original design left front gardens unenclosed, which reduces maintenance costs and provides a more open vista, however now walls and fences in various states of repair have sectioned off plots of land. In 1951 only 14% of households had access to a car or van compared to 75% in 2010,6 and lack of planning for this unexpected eventuality has resulted in a huge increase in on-street parking, despite the excellent transport links.

Despite this, the estate remains a green, spacious and desirable place to live. I hope future generations can say the same about the modern developments we are building to alleviate the housing crisis.


1 Morrab Library Photographic Archive, accessed 12 May 2020 http://photoarchive.morrablibrary.org.uk/items/show/11079

2 The Guardian, accessed 28 April 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/feb/06/number-of-new-uk-homes-registered-to-be-built-hits-13-year-high

3 Morrab Library Photographic Archive, accessed 12 May 2020 http://photoarchive.morrablibrary.org.uk/items/show/15720

4 Morrab Library Photographic Archive, accessed 12 May 2020 http://photoarchive.morrablibrary.org.uk/items/show/15722

5 Designing Buildings, accessed 12 May 2020 https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/The_benefits_of_urban_trees

6 Department for Transport, accessed 12 May 2020 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tsgb-2011-vehicles