Leatherhead Start approached me to redesign their landscape to complement a new extension that would provide much-improved living accommodation for the project’s homeless residents
Leatherhead Start
A new front and rear garden for a homeless shelter in Leatherhead
The Brief
The site required a new driveway and bin storage area to the front, to present a smart, low maintenance public face to the attractive Victorian building. To the rear, a new private garden was required to complement the bold new extension, with seating, borders, and a new lawn. The garden had to be designed such that a planned garden office would not spoil the feel of the garden, and could be incorporated into the space without disruption.
The Design
To the front driveway, Marshalls Tegula block pavers provide a low-maintenance and durable surface, whilst evergreen shrubs and hew ornamental trees frame the building smartly and provide seasonal interest from blossom and autumn tints. To the rear, three new trees were planted around a new lawn, with the borders planted largely with tough, low-maintenance shrubs. There was a nearly ten-year delay between the original extension and the garden office being built, but it has now been slotted into its planned position in the landscape.
