The Orchard Grove Consortium has submitted plans for Horts Bridge Park – set to become one of the most significant and ambitious green spaces within the new community at Comeytrowe.
The application is a Non-Material Amendment (NMA) to the existing planning permission, bringing together a series of enhancements to the original proposals that respond to the evolving vision for the park and the wider development.
What’s changing and why
The revised plans consolidate all of the allotment provision for Orchard Grove into a single, well-equipped area within Horts Bridge Park, alongside new community spaces and dedicated visitor parking. This will help create a genuine community hub at the heart of the park.
The centrepiece of the updated proposals is a significantly uplifted Neighbourhood Equipped Area for Play (NEAP), a key area for families to gather and enjoy. The play space has been reimagined to offer more equipment, greater inclusivity, and a closer relationship with the natural landscape.
Level changes have been incorporated to create additional opportunities for play, and a natural amphitheatre forms a new focal point for informal gathering and community events.
A plateaued grass area will provide further flexible space for community use, while a new adoptable, lit footpath link will connect the park to Lloyds Close off-site, improving accessibility from the surrounding area.
A raised polymer walkway and bridge will cross the existing flood plain, enabling safe and attractive passage through one of the park’s most distinctive natural features.
A play space for everyone
The redesigned play provision has been developed with inclusivity at its core. Proludic, the play equipment specialists behind the design, work in partnership with organisations including Nova CHILD and Autistic UK to ensure play spaces are accessible and enjoyable for children of all abilities, ages and backgrounds, including children with physical, sensory or cognitive needs.
The result is a play space divided into distinct zones, including areas for younger children, a junior play zone, a swing area, and a two-tiered natural play structure with a broad range of equipment that encourages physical challenge, sensory exploration and social play side by side.
The design also reflects guidance from Make Space for Girls, a charity focused on ensuring outdoor spaces work equally well for teenage girls, with social seating, good sightlines and informal gathering areas incorporated throughout.
Part of a wider green network
Horts Bridge Park sits at the heart of Orchard Grove’s broader network of publicly accessible green spaces, which also includes Highfield Park, Manor Park, Galmington Valley and The Maze. It also serves as an important link in the development’s active travel and pedestrian network, with Manor Park providing a green corridor connecting Horts Bridge Park to the residential areas to the west.
Alongside the play and community facilities, the park will feature orchard tree planting, native hedgerow and woodland planting, retention and attenuation ponds, and allotment plots with shared facilities including a storage building, communal composting area, and fruit bushes.
What comes next
Subject to the planning determination, the Orchard Grove Consortium anticipates that construction of Horts Bridge Park could begin in spring/summer 2027, with the park expected to open to residents and the wider community in spring/summer 2028.
Further updates will be shared as plans progress.
Recent Comments