Policy and Research • Locomotopia

A vision for how Britain's rural stations might unlock sustainable, walkable settlements.

Our previous research has shown that there is the capacity for well over a million homes within easy reach of Britain’s rural stations. Many of these stations are close to major towns and cities but sit in open countryside, despite frequent train services and short travel times to urban centres that make them obvious locations for new homes. Our failure to build in such sustainable locations promotes car dependency and unsustainable models of living.

So, what might a new rural settlement look like in reality? How can we promote walkable neighbourhoods, sufficient density for social infrastructure, commerce and community? Our speculative masterplan for Ashwell & Morden Station in North Hertfordshire suggests a way.

Network Rail runs 20,000 miles of track with 2,500 stations

Potential for more than a million homes around England's rural stations

Density and diversity

Ashwell & Morden station is at the northern end of the London to Cambridge Thameslink line, just twenty minutes from Cambridge and forty-seven from London St Pancras. The existing station is bounded by a car park, a scrapyard, and a handful of houses. It is the ideal location for a new rural settlement. A new “locomotopia”, if you will.

We have some thoughts on what such a place might look like.

Our proposal concentrates density at the core—closest to commercial elements and the station—ensuring a vibrant local centre. Almost half of the homes will be located here, including a mix of flats and houses, creating a diverse community. Increased density also enhances energy efficiency, reducing costs through compact, thermally efficient building forms.

The development of a rural settlement

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A 10-minute walk

Bringing nature in and responding to landscape

Differentiated density for vibrant communities

Green connections for travel and play

Social, commercial and community infrastructure

The car as a guest

Surrounding neighbourhoods offer more conventional housing types, including rural terraces with private or communal gardens, compact clusters of houses and villa blocks, balancing density with familiar living patterns outside the centre.

Commercial and social infrastructure is vital for low car housing developments. If shops, primary schools and the village pub are within a brief walking distance, people are less likely to hop into the car. Clustering such facilities in the rural centre, nearest the station maximises footfall from residents, visitors and commuters alike. In turn, this improves the likelihood of creating a sustainable and lively heart to the settlement.

Some social infrastructure is better placed within the centre of surrounding neighbourhoods. Sports pitches are paired with the secondary school and a corner shop, allotments co-exist with an integrated retirement community, and the new lido is a short hop from a primary school.

The car as a guest

Shifting from a radial development model to a more integrated approach could increase the number of homes directly connected to the surrounding landscape by approximately 30%.

Our work on the Begbroke Innovation District masterplan with Hawkins\Brown explored how to design low-car rural developments. A ‘living street’ model prioritises people over vehicles, with one-way loop roads minimising car traffic within neighbourhoods. Shared surfaces give priority to pedestrians while still allowing for deliveries and emergency access. More space is dedicated to soft landscaping, reducing infrastructure costs and supporting sustainable drainage strategies. Parking is clustered and hidden from view, promoting active travel while maintaining accessibility.

The proposals shown here provide homes for 10,000 people—enough to sustain a primary school, doctors’ surgery, a pub and a small high street.

By proactively masterplanning complementary social infrastructure around a string of adjacent stations, an expanded settlement of more than 15,000 homes can be created; all linked by cycle routes, micro-mobility and the railway itself.

Ashwell & Morden, Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton stations all have development capacity around them.

Treating all the stations as a single settlement enables the strategic placing of social infrastructure along the line.

Project Team

Anna Crew
Chris Barnes
Russell Curtis
Tim Riley

Project list