Handlebar Cafe near Winchester wins South Downs Design Awards 2023

In the Non-residential Category, the Handlebar Café in Winchester was the winner.

The cycle café and bike workshop was originally  the idea of a group of local teenagers who envisioned trains passing on a bridge. It is sited on the former Newbury to Winchester railway which closed in the 1960s.

Judges said: "The judges were very taken with the genesis of this project which originated from ideas and sketches by local teenagers with no formal design training."

Other winners were a  wildlife haven, an eco-friendly house, and a renovated farmstead.

The winners were announced at a ceremony at the South Downs Centre in Midhurst on October 2.

The awards recognise high standards of architectural and landscape design and promote creativity and understanding of the National Park through design.

Cockshut River Restoration - Landscape Winner and People's Choice (Image: South Downs National Park Authority)

More than 60 nominations were received earlier in 2023, with 16 unique projects shortlisted from Sussex and Hampshire.

The restoration of the Cockshut Stream in Lewes was a double winner, securing victory in the Landscape Category and The People’s Choice.

The project, which created six hectares of wetland for wildlife, was a collaboration between the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, Lewes Railway Land Wildlife Trust, Lewes District Council, Veolia Environmental Trust, and Chris Butler Archaeological Services.

The team from Cockshut Stream, Lewes, being presented with their South Downs Design People's Choice Award by Vanessa Rowlands, chair of the National Park Authority (Image: South Downs National Park Authority)

The judges said: "The project restores this canalised stretch of the river back to something like its original, natural, sinuous shape with all the ecological and water management benefits this allows.

"This is truly an enhancement of both natural beauty and wildlife."

In the Non-residential Category, the Handlebar Café in Winchester was the winner.

The cycle café and bike workshop was the idea of a group of local teenagers who envisioned trains passing on a bridge.

The team from Handlebar Cafe picking up their South Downs Design Award with Mike Hughes, Interim Planning Director (far left) and Carolin Göhler, President of The Landscape Institute (Image: South Downs National Park Authority)

Lannings Way in Midhurst and The Mile House in Amberley were joint winners in the Residential Category.

Lannings Way comprises four energy-efficient homes, while The Mile House is fully Passivhaus-certified.

Regarding Lannings Way, judges said: "We were impressed by both the developer’s ambition, care for detail and the bold design solutions implemented."

The Conservation Category was won by Wiston Estate Winery in Washington.

The judges said that they were impressed with the repurposing of historic farm buildings and the juxtaposition of new buildings.

Tim Slaney, chief executive (interim) of the National Park Authority, said: "The standard of entries has been exceptional. Every project demonstrates just how high, rightly, the benchmark is for design in the South Downs National Park."

Vanessa Rowlands, chair of the authority, said: "I would like to congratulate all the winners who deserve all the glory and praise today for some truly inspirational work."