Trafalgar Place

Post-war redevelopment resulted in the shopping centre, the Heygate Estate and the Northern Roundabout. This gave priority to vehicles and created a disconnect between the buildings and landscape.

By the beginning of the 21st century, the area had become synonymous with heavy traffic, street crime and high-density, poor-quality housing. Southwark Council commissioned the masterplan for its redevelopment and Lendlease managed it. Its aim was to restore the area to its former glory as a thriving place where people wanted to live.

A mixture of mini-tower, apartment buildings and townhouses create a more human scale, in contrast to the 1960s mega blocks of the old estate. Every home has been designed from the inside out, maximising light and space, and each has its own garden, balcony or roof terrace.

Working in close collaboration with landscape architects Grant Associates, dRMM and Lendlease sought to reconnect the dislocated adjacent neighbourhoods that were previously fractured by the impenetrable hulk of the Heygate Estate. The careful retention of 25 mature London Plane trees serves as a positive memory of the former estate. A new pedestrianised street has been created through the scheme, which, along with an internal private landscaped courtyard provide community spaces for residents to cultivate food and neighbourliness.

Trafalgar Place provides homes with a unique sense of identity; the scheme responds to the surrounding context whilst addressing its impact on the environment. Two of the buildings at Trafalgar Place are made from cross laminated timber (CLT) and demonstrate dRMM’s commitment to environmentally smart modern construction. Eight types of bricks are used, picking up the hues of the neighbouring buildings. Varying brickwork colours create “dovetail” corners, referencing traditional woodworking methods whilst whimsically playing on proportion and scale. The subtle brickwork detailing, as well relating to context, gives the new buildings a playful identity of their own.

As London seeks to cope with its chronic housing shortage and improve inner-city areas, quality should not be forgotten in pursuit of quantity. The Trafalgar Place development shows how seemingly simple moves such as retaining all the mature trees on the site really help to improve amenity and strengthen the community. Placing importance on what the existing residents and neighbours value can help steer developers towards the right choices and make social and financial sense for all.