Oxfordshire: community hub to open in Linmere

The Farmstead community hub in Linmere will serve the new 5,000 home Linmere development near Houghton Regis. Work is set to complete on The Farmstead at the end of this year.

The Farmstead will consist of three barn-style buildings incorporating a café, a community hall, a retail area, a modern office and a shared workspace. They will be arranged around a central courtyard and meeting place, and next to a nature-inspired children’s adventure playground. 

Linmere is a new collection of neighbourhoods being built over the next 15 years. The site comprises 200 acres of parkland and sport pitches, three new primary schools, a supermarket and 5,000 homes.

The project is being developed by a consortium comprising Aviva Investors, LiH and the St Albans Diocese. The main contractor Ashe and property and construction specialists, Ingleton Wood, Gardiner + Theobald and David Morley Architects, are all providing expertise with design reviews to ensure the spaces are of high quality and suitable for the needs of the community. 

Oxford-based Ingleton Wood, a specialist property and construction consultancy, has created the designs for the brand new community hub.

Nigel Reid, Development Director of the Houghton Regis Management Company, said: "The Farmstead is set to be the heart and soul of Linmere – a lively destination where residents, locals and visitors are welcome.  We are delighted to have worked so closely with Ingleton Wood who have really helped bring the initial designs alive to create an exciting, safe and welcoming space."

Peter Webb, Director at Ingleton Wood, which has an office in Oxford, said: "We have been working hard despite the unique challenges of the pandemic to ensure The Farmstead is designed to an incredibly high standard while ensuring it is future-proofed, sustainable and provides an amazing space for the new community.

"We will remain agile as we look forward to pressing ahead in close collaboration with the consortium to ensure we deliver this fantastic development for the region."

About Ingleton Wood

Ingleton Wood is one of the largest property and construction consultancies covering Central England, East Anglia, London and the South East, with offices in Oxford, London, Colchester, Norwich, Cambridge and Billericay. Its services include architecture, building surveying, building services engineering, planning, interior design, civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying, project management and health and safety.