Marston Vale, Bedfordshire, UK

Bringing concepts of sustainable living into practice

Shortlisted as one of the Department for Communities and Local Government’s ten new Eco-towns, Marston Vale has a long industrial heritage of clay extraction and brick making which has left a mark on the landscape. Peter Brett Associates’ engineering designs are helping tap into new energy use and sustainability strategies in order to bring a shift in thinking about how we live.

Located between Bedford and Milton Keynes within the Oxford-Cambridge arc of technology, the 15,400 dwelling development will contain commercial, retail, community, education and leisure amenities. The overall site covers an area of some 600ha and is designed around a complete shift in how we view modern living.

The project will be a collection of several leading edge elements that have yet to be used in a single community, many of which require innovative engineering.

Several of our solutions, such as energy production and waste management, employ a closed cycle and often symbiotic strategy. Through an onsite Eco and Energy Park, waste will be transformed into a renewable resource. Along with recycling, municipal waste will be used to cogenerate heat and energy as well as produce biogas and fertilisers. Energy produced will not only serve the community but will provide a surplus that can be sold back to the power grid.

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Did you know?

Ideas on sustainable development have existed for decades, yet many of these ideas have never become reality. Our skills in sustainable development turn good ideas into best practice.

Services provided

Air quality & acoustics
Civil engineering
Environmental
Geotechnics
Infrastructure
Sustainable energy
Transport
Utilities
Waste management
Water management

Project highlights