OpenSight has recently been working closely with Paul Basham Associates, to support specific design elements of Welborne Garden Village. As Hampshire’s leading charity supporting people living with sight loss, OpenSight’s expertise and lived experience have played a vital role in ensuring accessibility is embedded from the earliest stages.
Inclusion From the Ground Up
Paul Basham Associates and the Welborne team expressed a clear ambition: to make accessibility a priority for all. Working with OpenSight particular attention was made to footpaths, cycleways and pedestrian crossings. All too often accessibility is considered late in the design process for developments, leaving few options for changes —at Welborne early engagement and feedback has been underway from the early stages of the masterplans through to Phase 1 designs.
Our volunteers were invited onsite by Paul Basham Associates, for a detailed walkaround of the new pathways and crossing areas, giving them the opportunity to experience these features first-hand and share their feedback with the design team.
Theresa, an OpenSight volunteer and guide dog owner, explained the impact of this early engagement:
“Being invited to give feedback at such an early stage of the project was amazing. Often accessibility discussions happen ‘after the fact’ when there is little room to make alterations. Being a guide dog owner, the differing materials for the path and cycleway made targeting my dog to the right area much easier.
The team were genuinely interested and open to our feedback. They listened and appreciated our honest thoughts as we discussed several elements that the team had not even considered, coming to it with good sight.”
— Theresa, Volunteer, Open Sight
Key Accessibility Features Reviewed
During the visit, volunteers explored and advised on several accessibility features designed by Paul Basham Associates, including:
- Colour contrasting surfaces to highlight safe zones and boundaries
- Tactile paving to support navigation for visually impaired pedestrians
- Differentiated materials between footpaths and cycleways to support guide dog route targeting
- Crossing layout and surface cues designed with visibility and orientation in mind
These elements significantly improve the usability of public spaces for people living with sight loss—something only fully understood when those with lived experience are genuinely included.
Feedback That Shapes Design
OpenSight’s Active Age Group (AAG) provided constructive feedback, giving real world feedback from those who need the assistance and benefit from our designs. The project team responded with openness and enthusiasm, taking these points away for review and potential integration.
On behalf of Welborne, Paul Basham Associates has committed to ongoing engagement with Open Sight as Welborne’s future phases develop, ensuring lessons learned in Phase 1 inform everything that follows.
Why Early Engagement Matters
When conversations about accessibility begin early:
- The built environment becomes more inclusive by design
- Adjustments can be integrated efficiently, rather than retrofitted
- Developers benefit from genuine user insight rather than assumptions
- People with sight loss gain spaces that support independence and confidence
At OpenSight, we know that accessibility works best when the people who rely on it are part of the conversation from day one.
A Partnership for a More Inclusive Place
We are proud to continue supporting the Welborne team as they work to create a development that welcomes everyone. With early engagement, open dialogue, and lived experience at the heart, Welborne has the potential to become a benchmark for accessible community design.
