Projects Wycliffe Park

Project type

Later Living & Care

What we did

Architecture

Client

The Audley Group

Location

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Units

156

Tenure mix

100% private

Awards

Shortlisted - Completed Award - Housing Design Awards 2025
Winner - Later Living/Supported Living Design of the Year - British Homes Awards 2025
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Simon Kennedy

Set within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Wycliffe Park is a new luxury retirement village where the landscape plays a defining role in shaping a restorative, independent, and nature‑connected living environment. The development provides bespoke accommodation for older residents, enabling them to ‘age in place’ with homes that exceed Lifetime Homes and Wheelchair Housing standards. A total of 156 one‑ and two‑bedroom apartments are arranged in cluster blocks around a central clubhouse, all unified by a coherent, landscape‑led masterplan.

The external environment is conceived as a sequence of richly varied amenity spaces that encourage movement, social interaction, and quiet reflection. A central village square forms the civic heart of the scheme, framed by the manor house and designed as a welcoming, flexible gathering space. Surrounding this are multi‑functional courtyards, sun terraces, walking routes, edible landscapes, and a network of sustainable drainage features—including swales, rain gardens, and attenuation areas—that manage water naturally while enhancing biodiversity.

The site is embraced by Ancient Woodland to the north and south, and the landscape strategy places great emphasis on retaining and strengthening these ecological assets. Existing trees, hedgerows, and woodland edges are protected and enhanced, forming a green framework that anchors the development within its rural setting. New planting includes native shrubs, species‑rich meadows, and water‑associated habitats that support pollinators, birds, and small mammals, creating a connected ecological corridor throughout the site.

Health and wellbeing are central to the landscape design. Walking loops, sensory planting, and horticultural areas encourage residents to spend time outdoors, engage with nature, and participate in gentle physical activity. Raised growing beds and community planting areas support therapeutic gardening and social interaction, while shaded seating, accessible paths, and carefully framed views create moments of calm and contemplation.

The landscape at Wycliffe Park demonstrates the profound value that nature‑rich environments bring to both mental and physical health. By weaving ecological enhancement, sustainable design, and resident wellbeing into every aspect of the external environment, the scheme fosters a strong sense of community and creates a place where people can thrive throughout later life.

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Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

Simon Kennedy

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