Groundplan

The Lane Chapter 3 (Summary)

The Lane occupies a narrow awkward site next to a railway tunnel that Eric Lyons described as being “ridiculous” having “the shape and proportion of a banana”. Various devices have been used to manage the difficult site. The houses are grouped in tight terraces off the central meandering lane and orientated in various ways. There is also a playful mix of private front gardens, larger communal space in front of houses and more intimate shared front gardens. Characteristic of Span developments, parking is in separate car courts allowing for most of the communal space to be car free. The safe, car free, lavishly planted communal spaces are possibly best exploited by children growing up on The Lane. Communal areas overlooked by kitchens and living spaces mean that groups of younger children can play safely with just one parent overseeing them from the home (older children seem to prefer the more secluded gardener’s dump as a hang out).