Building a Legacy network celebrates annual Awards at Englefield Estate
Our annual Building a Legacy event at Englefield Estate brought together landowners, house builders and thought leaders to share updates and best practice on estate development and regeneration across the UK.
We celebrated exemplary projects helping to inspire an alternative approach to house building and development.
The King’s Foundation established the Building a Legacy network in 2017 and has since steadily built an active and engaged network of landowners, developers, and consultants who regularly share knowledge and learnings.
Award winners
We were delighted to celebrate the following people and projects where sustainable communities are thriving, thanks to their dedicated hard work.
The Community Award: Woodgate Community Shop, Plunkett UK & Thakeham
In the new-build development of Woodgate, a 619-home village created by Thakeham and Abri, a community shop was established in partnership with the charity Plunkett UK. Plunkett UK provided guidance and the shop opened in May 2024, offering local produce and essentials as part of a larger community hub. The shop, run by staff, volunteers and local community members, met its first-year turnover target of £250,000 and reinvests its profits back into the community.
“The Woodgate Community Shop opened its doors to customers in May 2024. One year later, we like to think of ourselves as more than just a convenience shop; we’re somewhere to buy essentials, local produce, special gifts and catch up with neighbours. We’re looking forward to the next 12 months of growth, development and finding new products to support our community!”
Sophie, Woodgate Community Shop Committee Chair
The Key Role Award: Nicole Petrie, Duchy of Cornwall
Nicole Petrie is a leading voice in stewardship-led development, bringing over a decade of experience shaping new communities with long-term vision. As Senior Development Manager at the Duchy of Cornwall, she oversees the next phase of Nansledan’s evolution; guiding new homes, commercial spaces, community facilities and the creation of Market Street, set to become the community’s vibrant high street.
Before joining the Duchy, Nicole played a central role in delivering Tornagrain for Moray Estates, helping transform a masterplan into a thriving new town in the Scottish Highlands. Her work spanned shops, cafés, community amenities, landscapes and the emerging high street, reflecting her belief that successful places grow through patient stewardship and the everyday ingredients of community life.
Nicole’s move to Nansledan unites two of Britain’s most significant modern examples of long-term, community-focused development. Her leadership continues to set a benchmark for creating places where people, enterprise and a strong sense of identity can flourish for generations.
The Landowner Award: Gascoyne Estates, Mill Green Village
Mill Green has been sensitively revitalised by Gascoyne Estates, blending heritage restoration with modern place-making to strengthen this historic Hertfordshire hamlet. The project centres on the restoration of the Grade II-listed Green Man Pub and the creation of nine new homes shaped through extensive community engagement. Despite Green Belt, flood-plain and environmental constraints, the scheme achieved unanimous public support through careful design and a community-led charrette process.
New homes combine vernacular architecture with contemporary sustainability, including air source heat pumps, MVHR systems, high insulation standards and EV-ready infrastructure. A reinstated village green and meadow-enhanced biodiversity, encourage movement and wellbeing, and reconnect the hamlet with the Mill Green Museum and Mill.
The collaboration between residents and Gascoyne Estates ensures a viable, resilient and character-rich scheme that preserves embodied carbon, restores heritage buildings and supports rural enterprise. Mill Green now stands as a model of stewardship-driven development – inclusive, environmentally robust and rooted in local identity.
Congratulations to our award winners and thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate their inspiring work and achievements at Englefield Estate.
Read our latest report as part of our Building a Legacy network, Reinvesting the estate village: Addressing the challenges of rural affordability.