From the outset, Buckler’s Park has aimed to create a truly sustainable community and an extension of the settlement of Crowthorne. The scheme includes 1000 new homes, a new school and community hub, community orchard & allotments, 4 new play areas and a care home, all working together to create a place of vibrancy, diversity, health and longevity.
Surrounded by an incredibly rich natural forest and heathland environment, on the doorstep of the Thames Basin SPA and our sister project Buckler’s Forest, Buckler’s Park aimed to embrace this accessible wilderness and the restorative qualities a peaceful forest can bring to a community.
Pioneered in 2020, Buckler’s Park was the first site to implement Cala Homes’ new Urban Wildlife Strategy.
The masterplan itself takes numerous design cues from the former site’s use as a ground-breaking centre for road safety research. With our work focusing on re-naturalising fascinating remnants of modern history across the site, our strategy adopted a green infrastructure approach, centred around health and wellbeing as well as the ‘wilderness experience’.
Historic links and forest rides dating back to the Royal Hunting Forest of Windsor have been reinstated, with a series of seasonal green streets running broadly north-south through the site, connecting the north of the development with the extensive Bucker’s Park SANG to the south.
Alongside strong green infrastructure, a celebration of blue infrastructure has played a crucial role in the masterplan’s development, with a focus on integrated and visible stormwater management throughout the site.
The masterplan has championed the daylighting of the Emm Brook and the creation of the Brook Corridor, which forms a major green axis through the heart of the site, creating a real point of focus for recreation and play within the community.
‘Buckler’s Forest is a wonderful woodland and open space on the doorstep of the new community created by Cala Homes. Green spaces are what bring people together, and it’s vitally important they are well-managed and maintained so they can continue to thrive’.
Euan Hall, Chief Executive at The Land Trust (now owners of Buckler’s Forest)
Landscape Institute Awards 2022 ‘Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing’ – Shortlisted
