Part of a wider allocation in the local plan for a mixed-use regeneration area, demolition of the former industrial and commercial buildings and remediation of the site delivered the site for a comprehensive redevelopment to create two and three storey houses and two, three and four storey blocks of apartments. Several technical constraints had to be accommodated, including the retention and enhancement of a Local Wildlife Site in the north western corner, reserving space for a potential road link through the site that would burrow under the railway line to create access to the land to the north, a ramp up to an existing footpath link through the railway embankment, and mitigating the noise from passing trains. The latter is achieved by using the apartments as a barrier, positioning them so that their non-habitable rooms face towards the railway and the buildings block the noise, protecting the south-facing habitable rooms and the streets of houses beyond. Across the site, a contemporary appearance finished in traditional materials creates a strong sense of place and delivers the beginning of a distinct new quarter for Colchester.