On the Chyandour valley’s steep northern side lies Trannack Farm, just above Penzance and overlooking the sublime scenery of the town, St Michael’s Mount and Mounts Bay. Devonshire Homes asked BD and our long-standing collaborators John Pardey Architects to imagine a 320-home design for this allocated site, and make the most of the extraordinary views.
The challenging terrain gave our team a richly terraced masterplan of dwellings and public open spaces. By making the most of each plateau and slope we were able to work closely with the topography to retain the special character of the site, including its old ‘drangs’ – a Cornish word for narrow lanes.
Throughout the masterplan we designed a variety of natural ‘lingering spaces’ for people to play, socialise, walk, and watch the seascape change around St.Michael’s Mount. In all there is an impressive 9.4 hectares of public open space: new community allotments; an orchard for local apple varieties; Great Hill and Long Meadow nature trail; wet woodlands and sustainable drainage ponds.
A key piece of the landscape design is for a central communal gathering and play place inspired by the Cornish ‘Plen an Gwari’ tradition, medieval amphitheatres where local people would have performed plays. This proved a very popular idea amongst local residents during the public engagement, which was hugely important for us during the sketching out of the public landscape.
The historic patterns, flora and fauna of this corner of Cornwall really inspired us to design a landscape that celebrates local identity and character. Higher Trannack received planning in 2024, and we are looking forward to seeing this special site begin to take shape in the near future.
“Higher Trannack is the steeply sloping side of the Chyandour valley immediately north of Penzance. The challenging terrain resulted in a terraced masterplan of dwellings and spaces that enjoy extraordinary southerly views across Mounts Bay and Penzance.”
John Pardey Architects
