Regeneration plan for Croydon Council’s former HQ revealed

16 FEBRUARY 2017, CROYDON, LONDON

Summary

A regeneration plan for the site of Croydon Council’s former HQ designed by architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) with landscape architecture by Grant Associates has been revealed following a public consultation event.

HUB, a London based developer specialising in mid-market homes, has released full details of the scheme to regenerate the former council owned site at Taberner House with the creation of 500 homes. The scheme also includes designs by Grant Associates to revitalise The Queen’s Gardens, a popular public park.

Grant Associates’ landscape strategy aims to reconfigure the park with the introduction of a central children’s play area and two new squares that would improve access to the gardens both for new residents and the wider community. A new café is also planned for the park.

Elements of the garden’s original features, which date back to 1896 and include walls and a sunken garden, will be retained to celebrate the park’s Victorian heritage.

The residential component of the scheme, designed by Stirling Prize-winning AHMM, will be arranged across four apartment blocks varying in height from 35 to 13 storeys. The scheme, which is a joint venture between Hub and Bridges Ventures, will further include 13,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space.

Formerly known as the Town Hall Gardens, The Queen’s Gardens have been reshaped several times in their history, with the current design opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth II in 1983. Taberner House was built to house Croydon’s Town Hall in 1968 and demolished in 2014 following the council’s decision to redevelop the site.

Building work is expected to begin in 2018, subject to planning approval. The proposals for Taberner House and The Queen’s Gardens form part of the Mid Croydon Masterplan, a wider project to regenerate this central area of Croydon.

A public exhibition of HUB’s plans for Taberner House and The Queen’s Gardens was held in Croydon at Friends Meeting House on 19 January 2017.

Andrew Grant, Director of Grant Associates, comments:

“Queen’s Gardens has a tangible sense of history and is the most important green space in central Croydon. We are looking forward to working with the local community to develop designs to regenerate the gardens and create new public spaces and a playground that will reinforce the community character of this green oasis.”

Steve Sanham, Managing Director of HUB, comments:

“We know this site has a history and importance to Croydon, and we take that very seriously. The proposals we’ve made are the culmination of a lot of thought by some very creative designers, and some serious engagement with the local community. We’re looking forward to moving forward with this key development.”

Relevant links

Quotes

"Queen’s Gardens has a tangible sense of history and is the most important green space in central Croydon. We are looking forward to working with the local community to develop designs to regenerate the gardens and create new public spaces and a playground that will reinforce the community character of this green oasis." Andrew Grant, Director of Grant Associates

"We know this site has a history and importance to Croydon, and we take that very seriously. The proposals we’ve made are the culmination of a lot of thought by some very creative designers, and some serious engagement with the local community. We’re looking forward to moving forward with this key development." Steve Sanham, Managing Director of HUB

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About Grant Associates

Grant Associates is a pioneering international landscape architecture practice. Our work reconnects people with nature in insightful, delightful and distinctive ways whilst addressing the global challenges of urbanisation, the climate crisis and biodiversity extinction.

Our design process is underpinned by a knowledge of human behaviour, nature and ecological science combined with innovative design technology. We bring original thinking, creative collaboration and are exploring what regenerative design and the circular economy means to landscape architecture.

Our varied portfolio includes ambitious large-scale, landmark projects through to small, local ventures.

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