The Talbot Project

The Talbot Project Project Images
The Talbot Project Project Images

The Talbot Model Village was conceived by two philanthropic sisters who were shocked to find people living in squalor on the heathland near to Bournemouth. This Model Village has now been engulfed by the town however remnants of the former heathland remain and adjacent land has become home to Bournemouth University and the Arts University Bournemouth. Both Universities have ambitions to transform the experience that they offer their students and have developed campus masterplans however a wider strategy for the land around Talbot Village has never been conceived.

Urban Initiatives Studio were appointed by a multi-headed client including the two universities, Bournemouth Borough Council, the Borough of Poole and the Talbot Village Trust (who own much of the land in the area and are custodians of the model village) to create a long-term vision and masterplan for the area.

The masterplan aims to ensure that the Universities are able to flourish in the future and can act as stronger economic drivers for the region through provision of incubator, grow on and business space and that the legacy of the Talbot sisters is strengthened into the future.

Through a collaborative process we have prepared a masterplan that has support of all parties and that addresses the significant constraints presented by the protected landscapes, heritage and transport constraints.