2000 to 2020
Looking back at our portfolio between 2000 and 2020 and reflecting on the diversity of projects and their contribution to our clients and communities. A selection of 20 projects from the first 20 years.
Simon Brewster
2000 - 2001
Cardiff Bay Barrage Masterplanning
Soltys Brewster were commissioned by Cardiff City Council to design and masterplan public open space and an urban park along the 2km length of the barrage. The masterplan design included the creation of major timber decking promenade, footpaths and a landmark focal point. Soltys Brewster coordinated sustainable soil creation using green waste material from Cardiff Parks and dredged sand suitable for coastal planting. BALI National Design Award Winner.
2002 - 2005
Norton Radstock Town Centre Regeneration
Soltys Brewster prepared a regeneration strategy framework and urban space masterplans for both Midsomer Norton and Radstock towns, on behalf of Bath and North East Somerset Council. The commission included the development of a Public Realm Manual, addressing practical streetscape issues, including design guidance. Midsomer Norton High Street was identified as a priority area and a public realm masterplan was developed with detailed design and contract administration for public realm improvements to the Hollies Gardens, at the heart of the town.
2003 - 2009
Castle Gardens, Lisburn
Historic Restoration
The restoration of the early 17th Century and 19th Century Castle Gardens in Lisburn. This landmark restoration project involved Soltys Brewster in the management of nine years of research, consultation, site investigation, design development and implementation in conjunction with Manogue Architects and Lisburn City Council. 2009 National Landscape Institute, Heritage & Conservation category, award winner.
2003 - 2008
Cardiff City Football Stadium &
Cardiff Athletics Stadium
A major redevelopment project creating a landmark gateway to Cardiff, providing a new stadium for Cardiff City FC, a retail park, and a new Athletics stadium with track, pitches and training facilities and New Gateway Roundabout to Cardiff. Soltys Brewster provided landscape services as part of a multi-disciplinary team including Holder Mathias Architects. Services included landscape design from pre-planning through to detailed design, green infrastructure planning, tree protection, and addressing ecologically sensitive habitats.
2004 - 2017
Prospect Place, Cardiff Bay
Residential Development
A landmark waterside residential development in Cardiff Bay with major Public Open Space provision. Soltys Brewster were appointed by Bellway Homes to provide full landscape consultancy services, including Landscape masterplanning, planning stage EIA and consultation services, detailed design, production information, and site inspection work for communal gardens, courtyards, waterside public realm and major roof gardens.
2006 - 2009
Welsh Assembly Regional Offices, Aberystwyth
Devolved Government in Wales Regional offices in Aberystwyth. Soltys Brewster provided landscape masterplanning and hard and soft landscape design as part of a multi-disciplinary team lead by Powell Dobson Architects. A successful Design and Build project including collaboration with Ministers, stakeholders and the Design Commission for Wales to deliver the contemporary environmental design to a BREEAM 'Excellent' standard.
2007 - 2013
Mossley Mill Civic Centre, Newtownabbey
An award winning phased redevelopment of an historic mill complex for Newtownabbey Council in association with Ostick & Williams Architects. Initial works included ecological assessment and restoration of millponds and woodland, an extensive decked promenade and new civic entrance space. The final phase included a new theatre and restored civic offices arranged around a public courtyard with water feature and mature trees.
2008 - 2011
Alway, Newport, Regeneration
A developer led regeneration of dilapidated housing stock and retail centre. Led by Bellway Homes Wales, Soltys Brewster provided landscape design services through all stages of the project delivering a new linear park, social hub and external community elements as part of this successful community rebuilding project.
2009 - 2013
Macmillan Palliative Care Unit
The practice provided integrated landscape and ecology services for this new facility on an established hospital complex in Antrim, Northern Ireland. Landscape design aimed to create a supportive external environment for residents, visitors and staff, with access to protected individual gardens and patios beside each room. A small semi-private courtyard provided residents, visitors and staff with a space to relax. Therapeutic landscape design principles were adopted throughout, particularly in planting design.
2010 - 2012
Aberystwyth University
New Educational Developments
A series of new educational and research developments for Aberystwyth University on the Penglais and Gorgeddan campus sites. The combination of ecology, landscape and arboricultural consultancy skills provided by the Soltys Brewster team, assisted the client in accommodating new development within a sensitive landscape setting of a registered historic landscape and greenfield sites.
2011
Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon
This nationally significant infrastructure project for a tidal lagoon included 16 hydro turbines housed in 9.5km breakwater wall, able to generate up to 320MW of electricity. Soltys Brewster were commissioned to prepare the Seascape and Visual Impact Assessment in support of the planning application. The methodology used was developed with reference to suitable best practice guidance, incorporating consultation with key statutory consultees and integrated working with 3D visualisation and other consultants. Soltys Brewster also provided expert witness evidence.
2012 - 2018
Omagh Hospital, Northern Ireland
New Primary Care Facility
Landscape masterplanning, landscape planning, urban design, landscape design and LVIA EIA services for a new Omagh Hospital. Soltys Brewster were part of the design team, led by Todd Architects and Hall Black Douglas, delivering the design from concept, through planning, to implementation on site. Landscape design elements include focal landscape courtyards, therapeutic landscape spaces, roof gardens, a riverside walk, Children’s ward therapy garden and high quality public realm, all within an extensively landscaped setting. A multi nationally award winning project.
2014 - 2015
Nancrossa Solar Farm, Cornwall
Renewable Energy Developments
Solar Farms continue to provide a viable option to achieve commercially viable renewable energy. One of Soltys Brewster early solar projects, now with a developing expertise in this sector.
Soltys Brewster prepared the landscape and ecology reports to support screening requests and planning applications for several sites in South West England and Wales.
2014 - 2019
South Sebastopol, South Wales
Strategic Development
Soltys Brewster were commissioned by a consortium including Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Homes and Welsh Assembly Government to support this major development site. Services included pre-planning baseline surveys; development of a Strategic Green Infrastructure plan; EIA including ES Landscape and Ecology Chapters, Expert Witness at Public Inquiry and a series of Reserved Matters landscape and ecological survey and design. Soltys Brewster also prepared the Strategic and Detailed Management Plans for the retained and enhanced landscape structure.
2015 - 2016
Llandysul, South Wales
Super School
The Llandsyul 3-19 'Super School' was opened for the 2016/2017 academic year. This £25 million new-build, 11,200sqm facility, accommodates 1000 primary and secondary pupils. The project was the largest ever construction project commissioned by Ceredigion County Council, showcasing sustainable design and state of the art technology. Soltys Brewster provided integrated landscape and ecology services from survey through to design development, technical design and construction phase support. Commissioned by Willmott Dixon, the lead D&B contractor, and working closely with Powell Dobson Architects and Cambria Engineering, the landscape scheme delivered secure and creative play spaces appropriate to each age group, designed to ‘best practice’ standards to encourage imaginative play and learning, within a well-defined setting.
2016 - 2020
Taff Vale, South Wales
Commercial Development
An office and community hub building led regeneration of a previously derelict area of Pontypridd Town Centre; the scheme reopened the river edge with riverside promenade and extended the town centre with new civic and recreational public realm, including a new footbridge to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. Following planning approval in 2017 the development, adjacent to the River Taff, was completed in 2020. The practice provided public realm urban and landscape design services, and supporting ecology services, working closely with DarntonB3 and RCTCBC to deliver this significant regeneration project.
2017 - 2019
Armoy Wind Farm, Northern Ireland
Landscape & Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) on behalf of ABO Wind for a proposed wind farm of six turbines with a blade tip height of 149.5m and an installed capacity of 19,8MW. Located within County Antrim and close to the sensitive landscape of the Antrim Coast and Glens AONB, Soltys Brewster were commissioned to undertake all aspects of the landscape and visual impact assessment, including consultation with the statutory consultees, site work, viewpoint photography, production of ZTVs, wirelines/photomontages and assessment reporting for inclusion within the ES. Soltys Brewster also prepared rebuttal and expert witness evidence for the Planning Hearing.
2018 -
North East Cardiff
Strategic Development Site
The practice has provided consultancy services support to Taylor Wimpey, for the development of this strategic housing site over the last 3 years. The outline planning application & supporting EIA for up to 2,500 homes on land between Lisvane and Cardiff Gate, which forms part of strategic Site F within Cardiff City Councils Local Development Plan. Soltys Brewster provided Landscape and Ecology Consultancy services, working closely with the consortium of Landowners and David Lock Associates, to develop and assess site proposals. Alongside the production of the LVIA and EcIA chapters of the Environmental Statement, the practice developed an extensive Green Infrastructure Masterplan for the site in conjunction with the development team.
2019 -
Virginia Park, Caerphilly
The practice has been supporting Bellway Homes Wales with an application for the redevelopment of the Virginia Park Golf Club in Caerphilly with 350 new homes and incorporating substantial park and recreation grounds. The site is former landfill and will be remediated prior to redevelopment with significant technical considerations in landscape & ecological design to implement a high quality scheme with parkland resource.
2016 - 2020
Cooper's Hill, Surrey
Audley Retirement Village
One of a series of landmark retirement villages the practice continues to support, working closely with Gaunt Francis Architects, for Audley Retirement. Projects include the award winning Redwood Village near Bristol; Ellerslie House in Great Malvern; Nightingale Lane on the edge of Clapham Common in Central London; and Sunningdale Park, near Ascot. The landmark village at Cooper’s Hill, close to Runnymede on the River Thames, was officially opened with a formal event in Langton’s restaurant in Cooper’s Hill House, the historic centrepiece building. The site is located in the grounds of the Magna Carta Park Estate set within 66 acres of parkland. The practice has designed the hard and soft landscape, from concept to construction.
What House Gold Medal
Best Retirement Village 2020
Continuing to provide targeted, high quality consultancy services across the UK and Ireland, supporting our clients’ needs.