Fore Street is a unique development, which adopts a novel approach towards the design of urban housing in Scotland. The site sits within an existing Victorian tenement perimeter block, which was previously occupied by two existing buildings. The building along the frontage of Fore Street housed a bakery on the ground floor (which had become derelict and infested with rodents) with two flats located above. A mews property was located to the rear, which previously housed an operating motor repair business. The brief called for a redevelopment of the site, in order to provide affordable housing for rent. The development was required to be of high architectural quality, yet be able to be delivered within the constraints imposed by a distinctly harsh funding regime. These requirements, together with the nature of the very tight, narrow backcourt site, required a particularly creative approach in order to address issues such as access, overlooking, and maximisation of capacity & amenity space, all on a modest budget. In response to the characteristics of the site, an interesting and efficient spatial hierarchy was generated. The development is accessed through a pend within a new build 5-storey block of flats situated on Fore Street, which maintains the scale of the adjacent tenements and reinstates the urban block. This leads to a serene backcourt area, which in turn leads to an intimate and attractively lit central pedestrian lane, used to access a series of 2 storey houses and cottage flats. These properties are arranged along either side of the lane, staggered in relation to the opposite side, allowing the houses an outlook beyond their immediate neighbours towards the tenements on the far side of the block, in excess of the minimum 18m overlooking distance requirement. The spaces between the blocks on each side create delightful private courtyard gardens, providing a second aspect onto which the principle living spaces extend both visually, and physically. These courtyards have been planted with a variety of climbers, which will in time creep up the blank gables and boundary walls, creating a small haven within what is a densely populated residential & industrial urban pocket. The development provides 15 new dwellings comprising 8 dwelling flats, 4 cottage flats and 3 detached dwelling houses. All units are fully compliant with the requirements of ‘Housing for Varying Needs’. All the principle rooms have a southerly aspect with larger window openings. As well as providing pleasant living spaces, the arrangement exploits the benefits offered by passive solar gain by reducing the burden on central heating and minimising fuel costs. The detailed design and specification ensures a sustainable, energy efficient and low maintenance proposal that will satisfy the requirements of an Eco Homes ‘Very Good’ Rated development.