Church Farm Residential Development

Church Farm is a highly sustainable residential development in Radley, Oxfordshire, blending architectural diversity with community cohesion.

The development provides 246 homes, including 45 house types and three apartment designs, with a mix of social, shared ownership and private sale options for a wide range of households.

Shaping a stronger place to live

Our design incorporated the site’s internal and external constraints in order to create a coherent, welcoming place that reflects its setting and is built to last.

We were brought in to provide a legacy reserved matters application that delivers quality and buildability. Our architecture, masterplanning and urban design team worked alongside civil and structural engineering, building surveying, building services engineering and geo-environmental colleagues to develop the design and resolve site challenges.

We guided the planning process, working with the local authority and stakeholders to secure approval. Permission was granted through delegated powers – a rare outcome for a scheme of this scale. Once consent was in place, we continued as Executive Architect, taking the design through detailed stages and onto site.

Turning vision into reality

Working as one team meant early, confident decisions. Changes to levels, drainage and layout were resolved quickly, keeping the project moving. Rear garage courts were replaced with safer, more legible streets, while parking was tucked away to create a more open public realm.

We focused on the details that matter day to day: better internal layouts, character areas, clearer connections between homes and streets, and a roofscape and material palette that sit comfortably in the existing village context. Green space became central to the scheme, supporting play, rest and everyday interaction. The masterplan bridges architectural styles, transitioning from more contemporary forms in the north to traditional character in the south to create a development that feels varied but connected.

Early conversations with residents, stakeholders and the local authority built trust and helped move the project forward with minimal opposition.

Designed with people and nature in mind

Tree-lined streets, a central colonnade and climate-responsive planting provide natural shading, enhance biodiversity and create space for daily life. A community orchard and informal seating are integrated into the layout.

Nature is part of the experience. Wildflower meadows, native planting and new hedgerows enhance biodiversity, while existing habitats were protected, including a badger sett with its own corridor through the site.

Even the water strategy was designed to feel natural, with rain gardens and permeable features managing drainage while softening the landscape.

A sustainable neighbourhood that lasts

Sustainability runs through the development, not just in performance but in how it feels to live there.

Homes follow a fabric-first approach, combining high-performance glazing and low air-leakage with photovoltaics, battery storage, air source heat pumps and MVHR systems. Together, these deliver low energy use, EPC A ratings and Passivhaus standards while keeping homes comfortable year-round.

Systems were designed for everyday use, with heating, ventilation and lighting prioritising simplicity and reliability so low-energy living is easy to manage. Every home meets national space standards and includes a dedicated EV charging point.

Materials were selected for locality, durability and whole-life cost, reducing long-term maintenance and environmental impact. Careful detailing improved buildability and reduced waste, keeping the programme moving through pandemic challenges.

The result is a neighbourhood that is efficient, resilient and built for change, with homes that can adapt over time and support different stages of life.