- Location : St. John, Jersey
- Date : 2020 - 2023
- Client : G.R. Langlois
- Project Status : Complete
Clos de la Bout is a development of 16 first-time buyer homes completed in July 2023. The site layout, adjacent to St John’s Primary School on the edge of the village, recalls a traditional Jersey ‘Clos’, with its informal grouping of terraces and detached houses set behind a granite roadside wall and existing planted field boundaries in a considered, CONTEXTUAL response to place.
The layout of the development has been carefully planned to prevent any direct overlooking of neighbouring properties whilst optimising accessibility, orientation and outlook for residents. The roadside presence is deliberately understated, with gables and boundary walls that reflect the character of the rural village context and safeguard the setting the nearby Listed Melbourne House.
Within the site, the layout and form ensure passive surveillance of streets and shared spaces, whilst providing enclosed private gardens for residents. This clear hierarchy of public and private space ensures that residents can have a sense of ownership and individual identity within a safe, accessible, shared community.
The form and detail of the buildings reflect the traditional rural vernacular of St John. A mix of tiled and slated pitched roofs, varied
ridge lines and dormer windows, Jersey verges and pitched gables, painted render and vertical window proportions lends a familiarity to the development, allowing it to sit comfortably within its setting and reinforcing the existing rural character of the village.
The granite boundary wall establishes a clearly defined threshold to the development and reflects the existing roadside character of other properties at the edge of St John’s village. Mature trees and hedge planting to the north and south boundaries have been retained and enhanced with new native planting to reflect the rural character of the wider area and to maintain privacy for neighbours. A new pedestrian footpath also connects the site to the adjacent school and the future sports field which has been enabled by the development.
