Mixed-use regeneration project of the year

Sponsored by Donaldson

You don’t have to be an Arsenal fan, or even a football lover, to appreciate what the premiership club has done for Highbury. Planning consultant Hepher Dixon was part of the Arsenal-led team that has used the construction of the club’s new stadium as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area. The project will provide more than 2,500 new homes – 40% of which will be affordable – and 70,000m2 of business, leisure and retail space, as well as bringing 2,650 jobs to the area.

The scheme is a prime example of market-led regeneration, which has started well with this summer’s delivery of the Emirates Stadium on time and to budget. Key to the success of the project was the relocation of 70 businesses and municipal facilities from the new stadium site, and a recycling strategy ensured that much of the material arising from the demolition of the original buildings was re-used in the stadium’s construction. So not only is the scheme a regeneration success, it also scores points for its green credentials. Add the impressive consultation process that ensured the local community was always fully informed of, and able to respond to, developments and you’ve got a winning project.

Runners up

The Centre, Feltham
Morley Fund Management/ Thornfield Properties

A few years ago, the centre of Feltham was home to a derelict shopping complex. Now, thanks to the intervention of developer Thornfield Properties and Morley Fund Management, it boasts 800 residential units, a library, medical centre, hotel and nursery and 172,000ft2 of retail space. This £200m redevelopment has not only provided residents with a revitalised town centre, it has also provided an environment that will stimulate further investment in the town.

Lintot Square, Southwater
Simpson Gray

What do you do with a village that doesn’t have a centre? In the case of Southwater in West Sussex, the council’s answer was to create one. It recruited architect Simpson Gray to help relocate a rundown industrial estate and build a village centre in its place. After consultation with the local community, the architect developed a design for the new area based on a modern version of traditional West Sussex architecture.

Paintworks, Bristol
Verve

When Verve announced its intention to turn a rundown 1850s paintworks into an employment-led community, it didn’t get much support from local planners and agents. But the firm went ahead with its plans and in June it completed phase one of the development, having already sold or let all of the units. The council is now fully behind the scheme, which has proved so successful that phase two is already under way.

Shawcross Fold, Stockport
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

You only need to look at the before and after shots to understand how much this project has achieved. It took 10 years, and a lot of determination, for Stockport Metropolitan Borough council to transform a crumbling group of listed buildings into an impressive mixed-use development. The project has been so successful that there is already a waiting list for vacancies in the flats, it has reversed population decline in the area and created 12 jobs.

Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, North London
Farrells

Camden council wanted to regenerate a rundown site in Swiss Cottage, through the use of high-quality architecture and Urban Design. The council chose a design by Terry Farrell and Partners for the key part of the regeneration scheme – a leisure centre. This centre, which opened in 2006, now forms part of a vibrant cultural quarter, including new homes, public space, a community centre and a refurbished library.