Master planning for a major development to facilitate growth in Lincolnshire’s agri-food sector

Food Enterprise Zone

The Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) is being delivered to create a campus for the University of Lincoln and for entrepreneurial, high-tech food businesses which it seeks to attract to secure inward investment, growth and success of Greater Lincolnshire’s agri-food sector. As the FEZ grows it is intended there will be an opportunity to expand in to neighbouring land and grow its provision for a variety of enterprises, notably small and medium businesses.

Pick Everard’s team has supported master planning and optioneering of the development which, once complete, will create around 1,390 regional jobs on site. We needed to develop options for a coherent master plan for the site, in support of the aim of maximising the appeal of the FEZ to high-tech food businesses.

The development is bounded by major highways which posed the risk of potential noise disturbance. The site’s location near an ongoing residential development also needed to be considered. A perimeter buffer running through the limits of Phase 2 of the development had the potential to address these issues but needed to be considered against maintaining the visual importance of the development’s frontages.

Our master plan designs provided for a mixture of units of different sizes, with an emphasis on providing units appropriate for start-up businesses. Our concept divides up the campus into specialist zones, each serving a specific purpose.

We encouraged a sensitive mix of the use of natural and contemporary material palettes to benefit and highlight the identity of the park, while incorporating high quality materials that mirror the nature of the proposal and allow for an innovative and create atmosphere.

Business related buildings were designed to have a lighter structure treatment and transparency by selecting large openings, whilst buildings also accommodating research were designed to benefit from a timer cladding treatment to reflect the natural context of the park land.