This new housing development on the site of an old hotel offered an exciting landscape challenge, being sited on a steep slope of about seven acres. My challenge was to link together the housing and the landscape, and create a private route to the beach. Together with our brilliant team of ‘can-do’ builders, we cut a gently winding sleeper-built stairway into the steep slope down to a level lawn.

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The base of the slope was walled and the banks were stabilised and seeded with wildflowers using a technique of spraying the seeds into the slope in a water-retentive gel, and native shrubs – including gorse, blackthorn, sea buckthorn and field maple – were planted across the slopes. Lower down the slopes, larger trees were planted to add to the existing sparse woodland. Altogether, 700 trees were planted over the site. A winding stepped path was created through this woodland , ending a few yards from the Polzeath Beach.

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Within the housing, I transformed the area of open decking between the houses, by creating raised beds from reclaimed railway sleepers and grey-stained picket fences to give this 'no mans land' a convivial village-y feel. I completed this project by creating small private gardens and a communal walkway, the planting including large grasses, perennials and wind-tolerant shrubs and climbers.