Barratt Redrow Great Places Edition 1 2026

GREAT PLACES Principles for delivering healthy communities Edition 1 : 2026

GREAT PLACES

Putting people at the heart of design

Healthy Communities Keeping it Local Create a Positive Legacy

Easy to Get Around

Places to Go & Things to Do

Homes for All

Nature & Wellbeing Streets for Life

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Great Places: Turning vision into vibrant communities. A clear, measurable framework for creating healthy, high quality places people love to call home.

Our purpose is to make sustainable living a reality, building strong communities.

Our eight outcome-focused principles are an important tool in helping us achieve this.

The principles, which are unique to Barratt Redrow, have been developed in response to a comprehensive understanding of our customers’ aspirations for the places where they live, a review of the latest placemaking policy and guidance, as well as consultation with colleagues and external experts.

The principles will be applied to every new community we deliver.

Great Places is focused on enhancing the quality of life and lived experience of residents and visitors. For us, this is the most important consideration and the ultimate test of whether a place has been well designed and delivered.

With an increased focus on the natural environment and on health and wellbeing, Great Places provides a framework for delivering high quality, healthy and attractive places to live.

David Thomas Chief Executive, Barratt Redrow

Further information

Issue notes

If you would like to discuss the content of this document or require further guidance, please contact:

Issue 1: 2026

great.places@barrattredrow.co.uk

This Barratt Redrow document supersedes the Barratt Great Places document (2020) and the Redrow 8 document (2021).

The PDF version of this document should be viewed as 'Two Page View' with 'Show Cover Page' selected, to enable correct viewing of double page spreads.

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Great Places is our blueprint for creating thriving, healthy and sustainable communities. It builds on decades of placemaking experience and sets a clear, measurable standard for the future.

Well designed places deliver real benefits. Walkable neighbourhoods encourage movement and physical activity. Nature-rich spaces bring people together, improve mental health and create a sense of belonging.

Great Places plays a vital role in achieving our company purpose, by guiding how we design and deliver new neighbourhoods.

Our framework is practical and ambitious. It will guide every design and set the benchmark for excellence across our business. From the earliest stage, the eight principles will ensure we create places people love, now and for generations to come.

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Climate resilience, biodiversity and wellbeing are now central to how places must be designed. Urban design is not just about streets and buildings, it is fundamentally about improving quality of life.

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This framework is the result of collaboration, insight and experience. It brings together the voices of experts, colleagues and customers to create something dynamic and future-focused.

Grounded in policy

Informed by communities

We started with the strongest foundations: national placemaking and urban design policy and guidance from England, Scotland and Wales. Each principle reflects the latest thinking and best practice for creating great places to live.

We listened to homebuyers, residents and other members of the public to understand what matters most: places that feel safe, connected and full of life.

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Colleagues from across Barratt Redrow contributed their expertise, playing a part in shaping the principles.

Leading specialists in urban design, health and wellbeing, street design, play and quality of life challenged and sharpened our ideas to make the framework robust and relevant.

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Shaped by our people

Reviewed by experts

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The Great Places principles and outcomes Our eight principles define what makes a place truly exceptional. Each one is backed by clear outcomes and measurable criteria to guide design from concept to completion.

Our overarching ambition is to create places where life feels connected and healthy.

Healthy Communities

Intended Outcome People feel part of a community, with spaces that encourage social interaction, exercise and healthy lifestyles.

Success starts with a strong sense of place. We use local characteristics to inform the look and feel of our developments.

Keeping it Local

Intended Outcome Residents feel proud of a distinctive design that responds to its surroundings.

Active travel should be the easy choice. Walking, cycling and wheeling must feel convenient and inviting.

Easy to Get Around

Intended Outcome A well connected neighbourhood where sustainable travel is second nature.

Destinations bring places to life. From quiet benches to nature trails and inclusive play, these spaces create vibrancy.

Places to Go & Things to Do

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Intended Outcome A vibrant community where public spaces are used and enjoyed.

Access to green space is essential. We seek to protect habitats, create new ones and design spaces that boost wellbeing.

Intended Outcome A place rich in biodiversity, where people feel the benefits of living close to nature.

Nature & Wellbeing

Streets shape the character of a place. They should feel safe, attractive and easy to navigate, creating spaces where people naturally connect.

Intended Outcome Streets that function successfully as social spaces and contribute to a strong sense of community, right on the doorstep.

Streets for Life

A thriving place needs diversity. A balanced mix of homes ensures places reflect local needs and aspirations.

Intended Outcome An inclusive neighbourhood with a range of housing types and sizes to benefit local people.

Homes for All

Great places endure. Attention to detail and thoughtful management ensure our developments mature beautifully and become places people are proud of.

Intended Outcome Places built to last, cared for over time and celebrated for their quality.

Create a Positive Legacy

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Intended Outcome

Healthy Communities

People feel part of a community, with spaces that encourage social interaction, exercise and healthy lifestyles.

This principle focuses on three goals: 1. C ommunities that thrive for residents and visitors.

2. P laces that support good physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Healthy Communities is the golden thread running through all eight principles. It means creating sustainable places, nature-rich landscapes, peoplefocused streets, routes and destinations that make healthy living easy and enjoyable.

3. Designs that strengthen climate resilience and enhance biodiversity.

Feeling part of a community is the most personally relevant factor in people searching for a new home.

This principle has the highest personal relevance of all eight principles at 66%.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Design inclusive places that make physical activity a natural part of everyday life, supporting active lifestyles for all ages.

• Deliver nature-rich landscapes that benefit people and wildlife.

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• Provide spaces for social interaction, from welcoming streets to green spaces and seating areas.

• Enhance existing communities by opening up new spaces for local people to access and enjoy.

People want to feel proud of where they live and connected to their surroundings.

This principle ensures every new place strengthens its relationship with existing features and the local area.

Intended Outcome

Residents feel proud of a distinctive design that responds to its surroundings.

Keeping it Local

We work nationally but think locally. By collaborating with Local Planning Authorities and communities from the earliest stage, we design characterful places that respect their context.

More than three quarters of people find the use of local characteristics to inform the look and feel of a development appealing.

76% of people in the market for a new home find this principle appealing.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Listen to, and learn from local people, including customers and neighbouring communities.

• Reinforce local identity with materials, details, boundary treatments and place names.

• Create a sense of place through design that reflects local character.

• Create new landscapes that integrate developments into their surroundings.

• Respond to features of value such as views, trees, topography and local landmarks.

• Ensure site boundaries are handled sensitively to maintain good relationships with neighbouring uses.

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Intended Outcome

Easy to Get Around

A well connected neighbourhood where sustainable travel is second nature.

People favour neighbourhoods where walking, cycling and wheeling feel safe and convenient. This principle makes active travel the natural choice for short journeys, reducing car use and creating healthier communities.

Good design connects homes to destinations via accessible and attractive green routes. These routes combine movement with nature, play and sustainable drainage, making every journey part of a better experience.

Wherever possible, developments link seamlessly to surrounding areas for easy access to local facilities.

People overwhelmingly favour a well connected neighbourhood when searching for a new home.

84% of people in the market for a new home find this principle appealing.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Create strong connections to existing communities, local facilities and public transport with new and improved walking and cycling routes.

• Design an accessible network of green routes that make active travel appealing and reduce dependency on cars.

• Ensure routes are overlooked and well lit, so they feel safe and welcoming for all users.

• Make streets and spaces easy to navigate, using focal buildings and landscape features as wayfinding markers for residents and visitors.

• Explore innovative solutions to support sustainable travel.

NATURE TRAIL

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PLAY AREA

Intended Outcome

A vibrant community where public spaces are used and enjoyed.

Places to Go & Things to Do

Communities flourish when there are destinations that bring people together.

Accessible green spaces, play areas and local facilities create landmarks close to home.

On larger developments, new facilities including cafés, shops and schools contribute to the sense of community and sustainability of new places.

Routes and destinations can be simple or ambitious, such as a footpath loop, a bench by a pond, a community orchard, an outdoor gym or an inclusive play space.

People say that buying a home close to local amenities would improve their health and wellbeing.

84% of people in the market for a new home say this principle would improve their health and wellbeing.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Design a variety of connected, accessible and multifunctional green spaces that encourage social interaction.

• Include routes and destinations, from walking and running loops to nature trails, exercise equipment and food growing spaces.

• Deliver early stage destinations so the first residents have places to meet and connect.

• Contribute to local facilities that benefit both new and existing communities.

• Go beyond policy to keep children and young people at the heart of the process, designing all play spaces to align with our Inclusive Play commitment.

• Ensure homes are well connected to shops, schools, parks and employment opportunities wherever possible.

• On larger sites, support new businesses, community initiatives and partnerships.

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Intended Outcome

Nature & Wellbeing

A place rich in biodiversity, where people feel the benefits of living close to nature.

Nature matters, for wildlife, for people and for the planet. With biodiversity in decline and climate challenges growing, this principle ensures we adopt a landscape-led approach to design.

Spending time in nature improves health and wellbeing. Our approach goes beyond Biodiversity Net Gain to create connected habitats and landscapes that support wildlife and people, while strengthening climate resilience.

90% of people are attracted to living close to nature-rich green spaces.

90% of people in the market for a new home find this principle appealing - the highest of all 8 principles.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Protect and enhance valuable natural assets such as mature trees, hedgerows and ponds, while supporting local nature recovery strategies and priority species.

• Incorporate wildlife-friendly features including swift bricks, bat bricks and hedgehog highways.

• Create new habitats through landscape design, including biodiversity-rich sustainable drainage systems.

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• Embed climate resilience through flood prevention, water management, shade from trees and climate-smart planting.

• Create opportunities for people to engage with nature, including woodland walks, orchards and wildlife-friendly show home gardens.

• Provide interpretation and signage to help residents understand and value habitats close to home.

Streets define the character and success of a community. They are more than routes for movement, they are places for people. Well designed streets feel safe, attractive and easy to navigate.

Intended Outcome

Streets that function successfully as social spaces and contribute to a strong sense of community, right on the doorstep.

Streets for Life

A mix of street types, from tree-lined avenues to shared surfaces, creates variety and makes neighbourhoods feel connected and welcoming. Parking should be convenient, but should never dominate the street.

Safe streets that are easy to navigate are rated as the most important individual element when buying a new home.

Safe streets that are easy to navigate are rated as the most important individual element, with 93% rating this as important.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Prioritise pedestrians and cyclists while keeping vehicle speeds low through design and traffic calming.

• Integrate trees into streets wherever possible.

• Design streets as social spaces where neighbours can meet and interact.

• Define public and private spaces clearly with high quality landscaping and boundary treatments.

• Define resident and visitor parking in ways that are convenient, yet visually unobtrusive.

• Explore innovative street design solutions that combine safety, practicality and a sense of identity.

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Intended Outcome

Homes for All

An inclusive neighbourhood with a range of housing types and sizes to benefit local people.

Balanced communities need a mix of homes that reflect local needs and aspirations. This principle ensures variety in type, size and tenure, so neighbourhoods feel vibrant and inclusive.

With our brands and housetypes, we can respond to different markets and create diverse places. By understanding local requirements, we design cohesive layouts that provide homes where people want to live.

The majority of people find a diverse place appealing.

71% of people in the market for a new home find this principle appealing.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do •

Use our brands to provide a mix of homes and tenures that meet local housing needs and give our customers a broad choice.

• Combine our housetypes to create coherent, varied street scenes.

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• Use variety to shape character, reinforce identity and deliver communities that feel connected.

• Where needed, include homes with varying levels of accessibility and adaptability for people with differing needs.

Communities should stand the test of time. This principle ensures places are designed to mature beautifully, remain resilient and continue to deliver quality long after the last home is occupied.

Intended Outcome

Places built to last, cared for over time and celebrated for their quality.

Create a Positive Legacy

Legacy means more than aesthetics. It means climate-ready neighbourhoods with energy-efficient homes surrounded by nature. It also means robust management and maintenance, so every space is cared for.

85% of people are more likely to choose a housebuilder with this commitment.

85% of people in the market for a new home say this principle would make them more likely to choose a housebuilder.

(Placemaking survey of prospective home buyers by Savanta, 2026)

What we will do • Design climate-resilient neighbourhoods with low-carbon homes, biodiverse landscapes and sustainable drainage.

• Deliver great places that people are proud to call home and love to visit.

• Build streets, homes and public spaces to the highest standards, with attention to detail.

• Create distinctive entrances, feature spaces and beautiful front gardens that improve with time.

• Put in place strong management and maintenance plans, including long term care for nature.

• Fulfil our purpose of making sustainable living a reality, building strong communities.

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