Places Matter! is an organisation devoted to generating a strong sense of place in living, working and learning environments throughout the Northwest.

This guide proposes a framework of qualities and principles that must be considered when developing public realm projects.

The scheme is for a 95 bed hotel, 125 flats with a 6 deck car park on a site known as 'Fletcher Street'. It is an important site located within the M60 gateway/ Stockport town centre, adjacent to the St Peter's conservation area and in close proximity to a number of listed buildings.

Penrith is a market town with a population of 14,700. It is situated on the east side of the Lake District. To the east of the town is Carlton, once a separate settlement and now an area that has seen the most growth of housing in the past 30 years. There is the large High Carlton housing estate which was started in the 1960s and is still growing.