Edgware Rd

The site fronting a narrow street with bleak outlooks to the rear over bleak and rundown land extending towards local authority housing was unprepossessing.   Redevelopment provided not only an opportunity to provide 18 generously sized apartments in a 4-storey building but to offer an environmental upgrade of the associated space for the benefit of residents and those in surrounding buildings.  We were aware that the   perception of personal safety and security would be perceptibly increased by the changes, and visual and physical connectivity improved.  The success of the planning application rested on our ability to repurpose the land to the rear and create a shared pocket park with a new landscaping scheme. Additionally as the site was very constricted and great care was taken to devise outlooks that preserved intersite privacy but still offered decent levels of daylighting for both new and adjacent residents.  Redevelopinga large underground car park provided the opportunity for removing vehicles fromground level.  Within the development itself, low energy installations and extensive use of green roofing at upper levels contributed to overall project objectives of sustainability and environmental upgrade. Having gained consent, the City of Westminster elected to take the scheme forward at higher density and appointed their own architects to the project. However the vision we established at the outset remained consistent in the new scheme.