Innovation in Housing for People with Learning Disabilities – Englishcombe Lane Supported Housing

Synopsis

Englishcombe Lane supported housing will provide much-needed accommodation for adults with learning disabilities on an allocated site in Bath. Plans for the development, which will provide 16 units of community housing on land to the rear of 89-123 Englishcombe Lane, were approved by Bath & North East Somerset Council planning committee on 25 September.

Client and the design team set out to create the best possible internal and external environments for people with neurodiverse conditions to support their emotional wellbeing. Guided by the stakeholder team from the council who works daily with the future residents, the homes have been specifically designed to enhance the lives of adults with learning difficulties and /or autism spectrum disorder by minimising potentially distressing environmental factors whilst enabling and supporting the residents in reaching their full potential. The architects have used PAS PAS 6463:2022-Design for the mind, guidance from the Stirling University DSDC and HAPPI design principles to achieve sensitive and flexible layouts for the houses, that allow the resident and carers to control the stimuli and triggers and enable the resident to decorate and personalise their house to suit their needs and personality.

The development will provide a mixture of one-bedroom single-storey houses and two-bedroom two storey houses. There will also be a community hub for the residents. All the houses will be designed and built to ensure accessibility and adaptability for wheelchair users.

The site selected for the project was challenging: The plans needed to balance the need for community housing whilst protecting the ecology of the site and incorporate flood and drainage considerations. The houses are carefully designed around a challenging topography.
The landscape-led scheme will use a Building with Nature approach to sensitively integrate heritage and ecological conservation with high-quality design, visual amenity, and sustainable development principles.