Recreation Ground

Hayhurst & Co were appointed to carry out a feasibility study that evaluates the development options for a recreation ground in London that is currently home to a number of all-weather pitches, a library, nursery and other community facilities. We worked closely with local authority stakeholders to determine the site priorities.

The study tested the strategies for the replacement and enhancement of the existing facilities alongside the provision of new housing at upper floors. The study explored how the park could be opened up and activated and how the civic uses might be arranged to maximise safety, social value and new opportunities for play.

The options increased the amount of active green space and sought to place new accommodation around the perimeter of the recreation ground in a series of 4-6 storey mansion blocks that were organised in a way that opens up the newly-landscaped spaces from the surrounding roads and maximises long views through in and around the recreation ground.

Different types and scales of landscaped spaces are created around the new homes: spaces for play and foraging, spaces that feel wild and bucolic as well as spill-out spaces for the library and community and nursery facilities. These will provide healthier, greener spaces to encourage better use of the space for leisure and recreational and sports uses.