Hampshire County Council has a new schools programme for new-build schools and expansions to existing schools across Hampshire. Schools are also being provided as part of wider masterplans for the expansion of town and village areas.

We undertook a Strategic Landscape Character Study on a number of HCC’s sites across the county. The commission was to provide a summary of existing landscape character data and to further this with local characterisation studies, identification of landscape character elements and a landscape site appraisal to form a series of strategic approaches to the planning and landscape design of school sites, which are located in a variety of difference landscape character areas and types.

The masterplan is an extension of Horton Heath to the west. The area is primarily pastoral sloping down to tributaries of the River Itchen, hedgerows and copses. The water table is very high and is part of the River Itchen drainage catchment.