17 services · Sussex & Surrey
Residential
Extensions, conversions and whole-home projects for homeowners, with site visits across West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey.
Extensions
Residential Development Design Services
Site Layouts, House Types and Streetscenes Designed for Planning. Nationwide.
Why Developers Use ArchEvolve for Residential Development Design
Officers judge housing schemes on layout, character and the quality of everyday spaces, not just unit numbers. ArchEvolve is MCIAT-chartered and designs the whole site in Revit, so roads, plots, house types and gardens are tested together before a single drawing is issued.
- 15 years of experience
- 350 planning approvals secured
- 500 projects completed
- Revit 3D modelling as standard
- MCIAT-chartered accreditation
Our services
Residential Design in Context
Our new build housing schemes page covers the full service; this page focuses on the design stage. Unit numbers are usually tested first in a housing development feasibility study, larger sites may need residential masterplanning, and approved schemes move into technical design.
20 services · Nationwide
Developers & Commercial
Planning and technical design for developers and commercial clients across England.
Developer services
Site & feasibility
15 services · Homeowners and developers
Planning & Drawings
From the first feasibility check to construction drawings, in the order a project needs them.
01Feasibility & survey
02Planning
03Technical & construction
Residential Development Design Services for Multi-Unit Schemes
Residential development design services shape how a housing site is laid out and how each home looks before the scheme goes to planning. That means the road and plot layout, a family of house types, the streetscene seen from the public road, parking, bin and cycle storage, gardens and shared amenity space. These decisions affect consent, sales values and build cost at the same time, which is why we design them as one coordinated model rather than as separate drawings.
Common challenges
- Plot layouts dominated by parking and hard surfacing
- House types repeated with no regard to local character
- Rear gardens overlooked by new or existing neighbouring homes
- Bin stores and refuse collection left until the last minute
- Homes that fall below the space standards the council has adopted
- Streetscenes that fail to turn corners or address public space
How ArchEvolve solves them
- Parking set behind building lines and broken up with landscaping
- House types and materials drawn from the character of the area
- Back-to-back distances and window positions tested in the 3D model
- Refuse collection routes and bin stores planned into the layout early
- Internal layouts checked against the nationally described space standard
- Dual-aspect corner plots and active frontages to streets and open space
How an ArchEvolve Project Works
The design stage of a residential development runs through seven steps, from site analysis to a planning-ready set of drawings.
Site Analysis
We map access, levels, trees, drainage, neighbouring homes and views, and review the local plan and any design guide covering the area.
Layout Options
We test alternative site layouts in the 3D model, comparing unit numbers, road length, garden sizes and parking against your appraisal.
House Type Family
We design a set of house and flat types sized to your unit mix, with plans that repeat efficiently across the whole site.
Streetscene and Materials
We develop elevations, roof forms and a materials palette so each street has a clear character that responds to its surroundings.
Parking and Amenity
We finalise parking, cycle and bin storage, private gardens and any shared open space, checking each one against the council's standards.
Visual Review
Enscape views from street level let you, your agents and the case officer see how the development will look before it is submitted.
Planning Drawing Set
We produce the site layout, house type plans and elevations, street elevations and sections, ready for the planning application.
0
+
years of experience
0
+
Planning approvals
0
+
projects completed
0
M
largest construction project developed
Residential Development Design Across the UK
Seeing the Whole Street Before It Is Built
In 2D CAD, a site layout and its house types are separate drawings that drift apart as the design changes. ArchEvolve models every plot in Revit and renders whole streets in Enscape, so the layout and elevations always match.
Street-Level Visuals
Enscape renders show the development from the pavement, helping officers and planning committees understand scale, materials and character without guessing from flat elevations.
Faster Layout Changes
Moving a plot or swapping a house type updates the site plan, schedules and street elevations together, so revised layouts can be issued quickly.
Design Guide Awareness
Every council has its own guidance on parking, gardens and character. We read it at the start and design to it from the very first sketch.
One Designer Throughout
Alex Page designs the layout and every house type personally, so the scheme keeps one consistent design language from first sketch to planning set.
Housing Development Design for Sites UK-Wide
We design residential developments for developers anywhere in the UK, working remotely over Microsoft Teams with site visits where the design needs them.
What do residential development design services include?
The service covers site analysis, layout options, a family of house and flat types, streetscene and materials, parking, refuse and cycle storage, gardens and open space, Enscape visuals and the full set of planning drawings for the site.
How is this different from your new build housing schemes service?
Our new build housing schemes service describes everything we do on housing sites, from feasibility to construction coordination. Residential development design is the specific stage where the layout, house types and streetscene are designed and made ready for planning.
Do new homes have to meet minimum space standards?
Many councils in England have adopted the nationally described space standard through their local plan, which sets minimum floor areas by bedroom and occupancy. Where it applies, every unit must comply, so we check each house and flat type against it from the first layout.
How much parking does a housing development need?
Parking requirements are set locally, usually by the council or the county highway authority, and vary with how accessible the site is by public transport. We design to the standard that applies to your site and show how parking sits within the layout.
Can you design house types we can reuse on other sites?
Yes. A tested family of house types saves design time and build cost on later schemes. We adapt elevations and materials to each location, and our page on architectural services for property developers explains how repeat appointments work.
Do you design flats as part of a housing scheme?
Yes. Many schemes mix houses with a small block of flats, as at Sea Road, East Preston, which combined five new-build homes with a block of flats. See our block of flats design page for flat-specific design issues.
Does biodiversity net gain affect the site layout?
It can. Most planning applications in England now have to show a measurable gain in biodiversity, and habitat delivered on site takes up land. We work with your ecologist early so habitat areas are part of the layout, not squeezed in after unit numbers are fixed.
Should we discuss the layout with the council before submitting?
For most multi-unit schemes it is worth it. Officers can comment on layout, density and character before you commit to a full application. Our pre-application advice service prepares the drawings and manages the request for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start Your Residential Development Design Services Today
Send us your site plan and unit targets for a free initial consultation with Alex over Teams.
